Oreshnik missile and Kyiv blackout: the night of bangs and booms

The night Ukraine trembled: missiles, drones and total blackout

In the early hours of the attack, air raid sirens sounded across Ukrainian territory. Explosions in Kyiv and Lviv, drones buzzing overhead and, according to unverified sources, the Russian Oreshnik hypersonic missile struck a "critical infrastructure object". The result: a total blackout in the capital and its surroundings that left millions without electricity, with no word from the authorities —DTEK included— on when supply would be restored.

The episode peine the debate over Russia's strategy of attacks on Ukraine's power grid. While some see it as a selective military operation against infrastructure that sustains the war effort, others point out that the cost of each projectile —the Oreshnik missile is said to cost 100 million dollars— and its limited material effect make it more of a propaganda exercise than a decisive tactical move.

The controversy does not stop at the battlefield. On the narrative front, accusations emerged that the attack was retaliation for an alleged earlier Ukrainian bombing of passenger trains in Russia. Supporters of this version consider the response proportionate; critics, however, see it as a deliberate escalation that punishes the civilian population indiscriminately.

Beyond the concrete facts, the night of "bangs and booms" —as public debate dubbed it— highlights the fragility of critical infrastructure in wartime. Kyiv, once a mirror of resistance, periodically plunges into darkness, and promises to restore power collide with the reality of a power grid battered by more than two years of bombardment.

How far is Russia willing to go in its war of attrition? And how much can Ukraine endure without a reliable power supply? The answer, like the lights in Kyiv, remains up in the air.