Russian strikes cause Kyiv’s worst water outage of full-scale war

Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy system on 3 November cut power to Kyiv and left residents across most districts without water for more than 24 hours. Experts described it as the city’s most severe water outage since Russia’s full-scale invasion began, and warned that winter power cuts could make the problem worse.

Kyiv’s centralised water system needs electricity to pump water, and damage to three combined heat and power plants in January reduced backup options. The city’s water company said the attack effectively halted supply; by the afternoon of 4 November, workers had stabilised the system, though it took several more hours for water to return. City officials advised residents to use mapped public water points during outages, while experts urged households to store water ahead of winter.