Konotop Power Grid: Four Days Dark After Drone Strikes

As of the night of October 26, the city of Konotop in Sumy Oblast has been without electricity for a fourth consecutive day. Mayor Artem Semenikhin confirmed to Suspilne and on Telegram that the blackout shows no signs of ending soon, leaving residents in the dark since the Russian strikes on the night of October 23 and 24.

Semenikhin stated that the loss of power has triggered a cascade of service failures across the municipality. He noted that most of the city has also lost its gas supply. Essential services are operating on limited schedules, with water available only from 06:00 to 09:00 and again from 18:00 to 21:00. The local hospital and educational institutions, some of which sustained physical damage, are currently running on backup generators.

Regarding the restoration of the power grid, Semenikhin admitted the timeline remains unknown. He told residents, "Unfortunately, there are no forecasts for when power will be restored. No forecasts at all." Sumyoblenergo, the regional power distribution company, reported that emergency repair crews are working around the clock. However, the company explained that the duration of repairs depends heavily on the security situation and whether crews can safely access the damaged sites.

The infrastructure damage resulted from a large-scale drone attack launched by Russian forces after 03:00 on October 24. The strikes hit energy facilities, a school, and residential houses in the Konotop hromada. In a separate incident on the afternoon of October 24, a Russian drone struck a civilian agricultural business in the district. That attack killed a 31-year-old farm worker and injured four other people.