On the night of November 8, Russia delivered one of the largest combined strikes against Ukraine's critical infrastructure since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. According to the Air Force, the enemy used 503 air attack means: 45 missiles (including 32 ballistic missiles, namely Iskander-M and North Korean KN-23) and 458 drones — mostly Shaheds. Air defense neutralized 415 targets. Direct hits were recorded at 25 locations.
The main target was the energy sector. The Ministry of Energy confirmed a mass attack on energy infrastructure facilities, after which emergency blackouts were introduced in several regions. Kremenchuk in Poltava region was left without electricity completely.
Why did communications disappear when the lights came back
After partial restoration of electricity supply, Vodafone users reported mass failures — absence of mobile signal and internet even when power was available in their homes. The company explained the mechanism:
«Due to electricity disruptions, there may be temporary limitations in Vodafone network operations. After power restoration, many users simultaneously switch to mobile internet, which creates peak load».
Vodafone Ukraine, official statement to subscribers
The operator separately warned about failures of fixed home internet, account replenishment and contact center operations — a result of damage to ground infrastructure, not just overload.
Base stations: backup power is not unlimited
Vodafone reminded that all base stations are equipped with backup power — but it is sufficient for only a few hours depending on the load. Prolonged or rolling blackouts exhaust the backup before the network has time to stabilize.
This is a structural vulnerability: investments in energy independence by telecom operators are designed for short-term outages, not cascading strikes on the distribution network. The November 8 strike is precisely such a scenario.
In Dnipro, a drone hit a residential building, destroying apartments from the second to the sixth floor. Two people were killed, 11 — injured, including a 13-year-old girl. In Kharkiv, the metro did not operate for the second consecutive day due to power supply problems.
If Russia continues to alternate mass strikes with precision attacks on small substations — a strategy that Reuters identified as a new trend for 2025 — telecom operators will face a choice: either double the capacity of backup batteries at each station, or pre-arrange priority power restoration with energy companies. So far, no operator has publicly stated which of the two paths has been chosen.
