Repair crews have largely restored electrical service to areas under Russian control in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, according to Moscow-appointed officials, following Ukrainian strikes on energy infrastructure. Yevgeny Balitsky, the Russia-installed regional administrator, stated via his Telegram channel that power had been returned to all but 12,000 homes in a single district, with teams continuing function to fully resolve the outages.
Balitsky previously reported two separate electrical disruptions in the southeastern Ukrainian region. He indicated that electricity had already been restored to half of the affected territory, although backup generators maintained operations for critical infrastructure during the blackouts.
The disruptions come amid ongoing claims from both Russia and Ukraine regarding territorial gains in the Zaporizhzhia region, as reported on February 11, 2026. Ukraine’s armed forces claimed to have regained control of the village of Kosivtseve. However, a spokesman for Ukraine’s Southern Defense Forces cautioned against interpreting these actions as a broader counteroffensive, characterizing them as targeted operations against Russian infiltration attempts.
Separately, in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region of northeastern Ukraine, a fire erupted at an oil facility following a Ukrainian drone strike, according to Leonid Pasechnik, the Moscow-appointed regional administrator.
The recent events in Zaporizhzhia also follow reports that Ukrainian forces have gained an advantage after Russian troops lost access to Starlink satellite internet services. A senior NATO official, speaking on condition of anonymity, explained that SpaceX disconnected Starlink terminals near the front lines earlier this month at Ukraine’s request, after discovering Russian forces were utilizing the system for command, control, and drone operation. The official suggested that any Russian alternative to Starlink would likely be less effective, noting delays in Moscow’s plans to launch its own low-orbit satellite network, with the initial launch of 16 satellites postponed from late 2025 to 2026.
Discussions have also taken place regarding the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, currently occupied by Russian forces. According to U.S. Officials, Moscow has proposed a shared arrangement for the electricity generated by the plant, the largest in Europe, with both Ukraine and Russia benefiting from the output. No agreement has been reached on this proposal, and the details of a potential arrangement – such as a 50-50 split – remain unclear.