More than 200,000 homes in Zaporizhzhia lose power after Russian attacks

On Jan. 18 2026, more than 200,000 households in the Russian‑occupied southern region of Zaporizhzhia lost electricity after overnight drone and missile strikes. Kremlin‑installed governor Yevgeny Balitsky said roughly 400 settlements were cut off, citing damage from Ukrainian drone attacks. Earlier that week, Russian forces used about 1,300 attack drones, 1,050 guided bombs, and 29 missiles across Ukraine, targeting energy infrastructure to "weaponize winter." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that two people were killed during the strikes on Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi, and Odesa. Russia also hit the Odesa region, causing a fire that was extinguished. The attacks aim to weaken civilian morale and undermine Ukraine’s power grid.