Russia has developed a new drone for attacks on power lines in the fall and winter, according to Skibitsky
Russia may once again attack Ukraine’s energy, gas, and water infrastructure this fall and winter. According to Ukrainian intelligence, the occupiers have developed a special drone capable of damaging power line towers in order to strike the power grid.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia’s primary list of targets remains unchanged.
These include defense and industrial enterprises, military facilities, energy infrastructure, logistics infrastructure, and gas stations.
At the same time, Russian troops continue to attack civilian infrastructure, and strikes on the eve of and during the heating season pose a particular danger.
According to Skibitsky, electricity and heating may be the most vulnerable during the winter.
Ukrainian intelligence reports that the Russians have developed a new type of drone designed to attack power grids.
“For example, not long ago, the Russians developed a drone designed to target power poles—power lines. Its wings contain an explosive device capable of cutting through metal,” Skibitsky said.
At the same time, he emphasized that Russia’s main objectives remain unchanged.
Ukrainian intelligence agencies are analyzing Russia’s intelligence activities and the enemy’s preparations for possible attacks.
To this end, they are using, among other things, space-based assets and satellite data. These tools enable them to monitor critical infrastructure facilities throughout Ukraine and detect signs of preparations for new strikes in advance.
In addition to the power sector, water supply systems, the gas transmission system, and gas production facilities remain at risk.
“Furthermore, our gas transmission system and gas production in the Poltava and Kharkiv regions—which the enemy has already attacked in the past—may once again be at risk this fall and winter,” Skibitsky noted.
Russia is already regularly striking gas infrastructure. According to Naftogaz, the occupiers attacked its facilities 13 times last week alone, bringing the total number of strikes on the company’s facilities since the beginning of the year to 293.
Due to the damage, some gas production was lost, and certain production facilities had to be shut down.
At the same time, as of mid-August, more than 13 billion cubic meters of gas had been stored in Ukrainian underground storage facilities.
The day before, information spread on social media about possible two-week “lockdowns” due to large-scale power outages in Kyiv, Odesa, and Kharkiv this winter.
However, the Center for Countering Disinformation refuted these reports. The center emphasized that this was the personal opinion of a single military officer, not an official forecast.
The Center urged Ukrainians not to panic and to rely solely on official statements from government agencies.
Vadym Skibitsky, deputy head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, spoke about this in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
In the first half of 2026, DTEK Networks reconstructed 37 energy facilities in Kyiv, as well as in the Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Odesa regions.
The National Security and Defense Council has approved a resilience plan for Kyiv, and its implementation has already begun.
Kyiv residents are advised to stockpile water for three days due to the risk of new attacks.
