Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a stark warning: Ukraine risks facing the winter without operational thermal power plants after a fresh wave of Russian attacks that overnight caused deaths and damage to energy infrastructure. The warning came in Belgrade, where Zelensky was on an official visit and spoke alongside Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.
According to the Ukrainian president, the latest incursions, together with bombardments on frontline communities, caused 13 fatalities in 24 hours and four deaths in the Kyiv region alone, including a three-year-old child. The figures on deaths and injuries were provided by Zelensky himself during remarks to journalists; there are currently no independent verifications from other international sources.
Zelensky said the attacks are often aimed at the country's power grid and that thermal power plants — considered complementary to the nuclear fleet in supporting the electricity network — have been left "practically with no intact" units. The president stressed the importance of these facilities for the heating season, when energy demand rises significantly.
The Belgrade visit also had a clear diplomatic purpose: Zelensky renewed his appeal for tougher sanctions to stop the flow of missile components to Russia. "These components come from almost every continent, even from our closest partners," he said, drawing attention to the complexity of supply chains that feed weapons production.
On air defence, the Ukrainian president reiterated the need for greater interception capabilities. In recent months, Moscow has stepped up the use of long-range strikes, including barrages of ballistic missiles that are hard to intercept, and Kyiv has repeatedly requested systems such as US-made Patriot batteries and other Western defences to protect urban areas and critical infrastructure.
Ukrainian authorities also reported cases of "double-tap" attacks — a first strike followed by a second hit aimed at rescuers or people who have come to the scene — citing the example of a village outside Kyiv where a child died and others were seriously injured, including the parents and an adolescent brother.
The war is entering its fifth year since the large-scale 2022 invasion and the pattern of air raids and drone launches has shifted: on the one hand, Moscow appears to be aiming to hit strategic infrastructure to degrade Ukraine's civilian and industrial capacity; on the other, Kyiv, Zelensky noted, has intensified offensive actions, including a record number of drones launched at targets inside Russia as a form of reprisal.
The diplomatic context around Zelensky's visit is also significant for relations with Serbia. Vučić reiterated that Belgrade has not changed its policy: Serbia remains among the few European states that have not imposed sanctions on Moscow and continues to supply non-military aid to Kyiv. The two leaders said they discussed the war, though they did not initiate forms of military cooperation. Vučić also denied, as he has before, Kremlin accusations that Serbian firms have sold ammunition to Ukraine.
Zelensky's visit to Belgrade follows earlier trips by the Serbian president to Ukraine: Vučić attended a regional summit in 2025 and has visited Kyiv this year as well, signals of a complex bilateral relationship mixing political dialogue and differences on international policy choices.
Practically, damage to thermal plants and the power grid raises concrete scenarios for millions of civilians: a prolonged loss of thermal generation capacity could force rationing, disrupt essential services and increase the risk of public-health emergencies during the cold months. While the nuclear fleet remains an important resource for the grid, it is not sufficient on its own to compensate for the complete unavailability of thermal plants, Zelensky said.
However, the exact extent of damage to infrastructure remains unclear: the source of the statements is the Ukrainian government, as reported by international media, and there are currently no independent, detailed estimates of the percentage of thermal plants out of service or of the time required for extensive repairs. The origin of missile parts and their commercial routes are also complex issues that are difficult to prove quickly and require multilateral investigations.
The call for more defence systems and targeted sanctions reflects a Ukrainian strategy aimed at reducing Russia's ability to strike critical infrastructure and at securing political and economic support from the West and other partners. At the same time, dialogue with countries that maintain ties with Moscow, such as Serbia, illustrates the difficulty of building a unified European coalition on the response to the war, amid geopolitical pressures and national interests. Beyond official statements, the central question remains what practical measures can protect civilians and infrastructure as a harsh winter approaches.