Russian Strikes Cut Power to Hundreds of Thousands of Ukrainian Households; Zelensky Says Russia Is Exploiting a Shortage of Ballistic-Missile Interceptors

Two Numbers From One Weekend

Overnight into Sunday, Nov. 1, Russia hit power infrastructure in four Ukrainian regions. They were Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr and Khmelnytskyi. President Volodymyr Zelensky said hundreds of thousands of households lost electricity^[1][2].

Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 433 long-range drones from Saturday evening. It said 371 were shot down^[1]. That leaves 62 that were not.

Reuters's headline said "thousands" lost power. Its own text carried Zelensky's "hundreds of thousands" figure^[1]. The gap shows how hard it is to get an independent count in the middle of a strike.

The Weekly Ledger

Zelensky also gave totals for the whole past week. He said Russia fired 1,940 attack drones, more than 1,580 guided aerial bombs and 44 missiles^[2][3]. Guided bombs are older glide bombs fitted with steering kits.

Of the 44 missiles, 36 were ballistic^[2][3]. That detail is the core of his argument.

These totals come from Kyiv's own statements. No independent body has verified them. The same is true of Russia's numbers, which come from its own government.

Why Ballistic Missiles Are the Problem

Drones are slow. Ukraine can stop many of them with guns, interceptor drones and cheaper missiles. Ballistic missiles come down steeply at very high speed. Only advanced systems like the U.S.-made Patriot PAC-3 can reliably hit them^[2][6].

So Zelensky said the Russians are "trying to take maximum advantage of the shortage of ballistic missile interceptors"^[2]. In plain terms, the missiles that get through are the ones Ukraine is least able to stop.

CNN reported on Oct. 15, citing one unnamed source, that Ukraine had used up its Patriot interceptors. Ukrainian officials had estimated a winter need of 100–120 per month^[6]. The Atlantic Council also describes stocks as exhausted or nearly so^[15].

Approved Is Not Delivered

On Oct. 30, the U.S. State Department approved a possible $2.1 billion sale of 500 PAC-3 MSE interceptors to Ukraine. Canada, Germany, Norway and EU-backed loans would pay for it. Congress still has to review it^[4][5].

Do the division and it comes to about $4.2 million per missile^[4][5]. At Ukraine's requested pace of roughly 100 a month, 500 missiles would last four to five months^[5][6].

But the notice set no delivery date. Zelensky has warned the wait could be "a few years"^[5][6]. Patriot interceptors are made slowly, and other wars compete for them, including the one involving Iran^[6].

The administration's approach is to sell weapons with allies paying, rather than give them away. Officials argue this backs Ukraine while protecting taxpayers and U.S. stockpiles^[4][5]. Supporters of Ukraine reply that a sale with no delivery date does little this winter. Other critics want the interceptors saved for U.S. needs^[5][6].

European backers see the spending differently. They argue that keeping Ukraine's air defenses running costs less than a Russian victory. They also carry more of the bill, while the factories and the delivery queue sit in the United States^[4][5].

Two Descriptions of the Same Targets

Ukraine calls the strikes an attack on civilians' heat and light as winter begins. Substations feed homes, hospitals and water pumps. A gap in interceptors, in Kyiv's view, is a gap in civilian protection. It wants missiles from partners' existing stocks now, not from factory orders years away^[2][3].

Russia's Defense Ministry says it hit energy and transport sites "used by the Ukrainian military," plus drone and ammunition sites^[7][8]. This rests on "dual use." The same grid powers railways that move troops and factories that build drones. On that view, the grid is a lawful military target.

Ukraine is also striking Russian oil refineries and industrial sites. Kyiv says this targets the fuel and oil money that pay for the war. The Nizhny Novgorod governor said a large Ukrainian drone attack that night significantly damaged an industrial facility. Russian investigators opened a terrorism case^[1].

Leverage Before the Talks

All of this comes before planned U.S.-Ukraine-Russia talks. Zelensky has said they would include U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and a Russian team. He puts them in the first half of November, possibly in Abu Dhabi^[9][14]. As of Nov. 1, no date had been announced.

Moscow says it is ready to talk. It also says Ukraine must make "necessary decisions" to end the war^[10][11]. Witkoff met Putin on Oct. 21, and Washington is brokering the talks^[10][16]. Each side has a reason to show strength first. Russia does it through grid strikes, and Ukraine through refinery strikes.

Coverage differed in what it put first. Reuters paired the two sides' strikes in one headline^[1]. CNN stressed scarcity and the missing delivery schedule^[4]. Kyiv Post led with the ballistic count, relaying Zelensky's totals without an outside check^[3]. Al Jazeera ran the Patriot sale as straight news^[12]. TASS described every target as military and did not mention blackouts^[7]. RT covered the sale as a U.S. arms deal^[13]. Forbes put Trump's peace push first, with the strikes in the background^[16].

Ukraine is heading into its fifth winter of full-scale war with a damaged grid. Whatever happens in Abu Dhabi, each missile that gets through still means repairs and outages^[5][14]. Two things remain open: when the first Patriots arrive, and whether the talks get a date.