00:00Ukraine destroys 75% of Zaporizhia grid in single strike.
00:05200,000 trapped in sub-zero blackout in the freezing dark.
00:10Of January 17, 2026, a coordinated Ukrainian drone strike.
00:15Plunged much of Russian-occupied Zaporizhia into blackout, crippling the region's
00:20electricity grid in a matter of minutes.
00:22As the attack began just after midnight,
00:25residents across southeastern Zaporizhia reported sudden flashes on the horizon.
00:30Followed moments later by power failures rippling through towns and villages.
00:35Blackout struck during a severe cold snap with temperatures well below freezing.
00:40And many homes already struggling with winter shortages.
00:43Belitsky tried to project cars.
00:45saying in a telegram post that repair teams were working around the clock and that
00:50restoration was underway, but he did not provide a clear timetable.
00:55For years, Russia has systematically targeted Ukraine's power plants, substations,
01:00and transmission lines, trying to break civilian morale by plunging cities like Kiev.
01:05and Kharkiv into rolling blackouts.
01:08Unlike large ballistic or crew
01:10missiles, these small drones can fly low, change routes mid-flight, and
01:15strike with enough precision to disable key equipment while minimizing wider blast damage.
01:20The Zaporizhia strike adds to growing evidence that even sophisticated
01:25Russian systems struggle to fully protect sprawling fixed infrastructure
01:30from agile mast UAV attacks within a day of the blackout.
01:35aid organizations and local volunteers warned of mounting risks for children, older people,
01:40and those with disabilities in the occupied areas.
01:44In Russia's Belgrade
01:45In a broad region, authorities said a woman was killed, and another person was wounded,
01:49when a drone exploded
01:50in the village of Nechayevka, damaging homes near the border.
01:53The conflict has increased
01:55increasingly become a struggle over power lines, railways, and fuel depots as much as
02:00trenches or artillery positions.
02:03Zaporizhia is not just any region, it is
02:05it is home to Europe's largest nuclear power plant and sits on a key land corridor that
02:10links Russian forces in Crimea with those in the Donbass.
02:14Within hours
02:15Russian state media labeled the Zaporizhia outage an act of terrorism, accusing Ukraine
02:20of deliberately attacking civilians and using Western-made components in its drones.
02:26Kiev followed a familiar playbook after the strike.
02:29No formal claim of resistance
02:30responsibility
02:31No official briefing detailing drone routes or units involved
02:35Every hour without power in subzero temperatures deepens frustration amongst people
02:40civilians and increases the strain on local administrators scrambling to distribute
02:44generator
02:45generators, fuel, and aid.
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