Strikes on Ukraine's energy system

Russia carried out one of the largest attacks on Ukraine's energy sector, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said more than 15 important power generation and transmission facilities were hit in several regions. In a Telegram post, he said Russia used more than 320 Shahed-type drones, including jet-powered ones, together with cruise and ballistic missiles and loitering munitions. He put the window of the attack between 19:00 on Friday, 16 October, and 07:00 on Saturday, 17 October. The hardest-hit cities, according to Zelensky, were Lutsk, Rivne, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Shepetivka, Slavutych and Netishyn, while energy facilities were also struck in the Kharkiv, Kyiv and Dnipro regions. Zelensky said Ukrainian air defences shot down a significant share of the missiles and drones, but the sheer number and steady pace of the strikes had serious consequences for the energy system. Repair crews and energy companies were working to restore supply, and all available resources had been mobilised, he added.

Zelensky urges pressure on Moscow

Zelensky said Russia was trying to plunge Ukraine into a blackout just before winter, leaving millions of people without power and heating. He described the strikes as an expansion of Russia's campaign against the energy sector, aimed at stretching Ukraine's reserves and its ability to repair the grid. He urged international pressure to stop the attacks and thanked European partners for their support, saying new support packages from them were already prepared, without giving details. He also said the Graham act could help a great deal if it actually entered into force, and that every voice on the matter counted.

“Russia is trying to create a blackout in Ukraine right before winter. Russia is trying to leave millions of our people without electricity and heating.”

Washington suspends parts of the Graham act

Trump announced on Friday, 16 October, that he was suspending the application of some sanctions and tariffs on Russia under the so-called Graham act, which he signed in September, and cited US national interest as the reason. Zelensky regretted the decision and said the United States had completely ignored a law that could exert effective pressure on Moscow to end the war. He described the American move as a sanctions blackout that eases pressure on the aggressor and rewards Putin financially. In Moscow, Kirill Dmitriev, an adviser to the Russian president, welcomed the suspension in a Telegram post on 17 October.

“The suspension of the Graham act by the Trump administration is an important and truly historic moment.”

Dmitriev argued that the act could have effectively halted economic interaction between Russia and the United States, causing serious damage to the American economy and world markets.