Zelensky Warns of New Russian Energy Strikes

Zelensky warns that Russia is preparing another wave of attacks on Ukraine’s energy network, bridges over the Dnipro River and wider civilian infrastructure, according to intelligence briefings he cited on Friday, 6 November 2026.

In remarks reported by Kyiv Post, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine’s Air Force and Armed Forces were bracing for difficult missions and urged partners not to delay deliveries of Patriot interceptor missiles. “Every agreement matters, and every day counts when it comes to deliveries,” he said, asking allies not to put shipments off.

Why Zelensky warns of bridge and grid attacks

Since 1 October, Russian drones have repeatedly hit Kyiv’s South (Pivdennyi) Bridge, a key crossing between the capital’s eastern and western banks, and later targeted the North Bridge. Closures on 2 October caused heavy traffic jams, with some commuters abandoning cars. Another strike on 27 October again forced traffic restrictions.

Armed Forces of Ukraine Major Artem Bilyk has described a “small cuts” approach: repeated hits that shut bridges for inspection and repair rather than destroying them in a single blow. Russia’s Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov earlier told President Vladimir Putin that forces had begun targeting strategic bridges, railway infrastructure and data centres from mid-October.

Overnight on 2–3 November, state grid operator Ukrenergo called one of the largest recent assaults on the energy sector, with facilities hit more than 20 times in 24 hours. Three DTEK thermal power plants went offline, and emergency blackouts followed in Kyiv, the Kyiv region and Dnipropetrovsk. Outages later halted tram and trolleybus services in the capital, and on 5 November water supply failed again across all Kyiv districts. A further strike on a Zhytomyr energy site on Friday strained power and water pressure, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

What Ukraine says it will do next

• Continue long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries in response to attacks on power, heat and water systems
• Press partners for faster Patriot interceptor deliveries
• Urge civilians to follow air-raid alerts during missile threats

Zelensky said Moscow had refused de-escalation steps discussed with partners and was “counting on further attacks.” He pointed to a US-brokered humanitarian pause in occupied Oleshky from 27 October to 1 November as evidence that calm is possible if Russia chooses to stop fighting. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, speaking in Warsaw with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, said Ukraine would keep bringing the war back onto Russian territory through long-range campaigns.

Why the story matters beyond Europe

Energy warfare raises food, fuel and shipping risk far from the front line. Thailand recently moved on domestic fuel prices, as covered in Thailand fuel price cuts start Nov 6, while households elsewhere face cost-of-living pressure similar to themes in our report on French protests over the cost of living. For the diplomatic track, see our separate report on Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi. That coverage concerns negotiations, rather than the immediate military warning.

For readers in Thailand, the immediate confirmed development is the warning itself and the request for air-defence supplies. Zelensky did not provide a precise time for the next attack. His message was that Ukrainian forces were preparing and that partners should not delay agreed deliveries.

Separate the warning from confirmed damage

The intelligence warning and the accounts of earlier damage describe different things. Zelensky’s statement concerns an attack he says Russia is preparing. The bridge closures, blackouts and water interruptions describe events already reported. Combining the two without that distinction would incorrectly suggest that every threatened target has already been struck in the latest operation.

The request for Patriot interceptors is similarly specific. Zelensky asked partners to accelerate deliveries under existing agreements. His appeal does not itself confirm that a new shipment has arrived, that a particular area has received additional protection, or that the next attack can be prevented. The report gives no precise timetable for the threatened wave.

Readers should also distinguish the positions of the parties. Ukraine’s president says Moscow has rejected de-escalation and promises continued strikes on oil refineries. Those are his stated position and intended response, rather than evidence of a ceasefire agreement. The earlier humanitarian pause he cited was limited to occupied Oleshky and to the dates reported, not a countrywide end to hostilities.

Image: Illustrative electricity-transmission photograph; not a photograph of the reported attacks, Unsplash (Unsplash License). Zelensky warns coverage.