Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy system on Nov. 3 cut power to Kyiv’s water facilities, leaving residents without water for more than 24 hours in what officials and experts described as the capital’s worst water outage of the full-scale war, with supplies beginning to stabilize the next day.
The attack was part of a large assault on energy infrastructure. It also caused emergency power cuts in Kyiv and other regions. Kyiv’s central water system needs electricity to pump water.
Damage to the power system disrupted service across much of the capital. Authorities did not give a confirmed count of how many people lost water. Outages were reported in most districts.
Some restaurants in central Kyiv closed their bathrooms. The city advised residents to use public water points. Crews worked to restore power and restart equipment.
Even after electricity returned, workers needed time to refill pipes and restore water pressure. As a result, water did not return everywhere at once. Kyiv’s water utility said the system began to stabilize on the afternoon of Nov. 4.
Crews continued working to restore normal water pressure. Experts also warned that damage to Kyiv’s power generation had reduced backup options for water facilities. They said this raised concern about future outages during winter.