Ukrainian officials have warned this winter could be the hardest yet since Russia’s invasion in 2022, as Russia will likely use everything it has to destroy the country’s power grid.

The first attack has already begun, as Russia’s army rained down missiles and drones targeting a large thermal power plant as well as other energy facilities. The attack left several neighborhoods without power and water.

As well as triggering power outages, the immense overnight attack prompted questions about whether it marked the start of Russia’s anticipated cold-weather campaign, which Ukraine defines as an attempt to “weaponize winter.”

“There has been virtually no day since summer when the enemy has not attacked energy infrastructure. But such a massive and combined attack happened for the first time since the end of the last heating season,” Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said on Telegram.

Russia has attempted such campaigns each winter, and this time it is armed with large stocks of ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones that will be difficult for Ukraine to intercept.

According to the Telegraph, Russia’s plans to cripple Ukrainians into surrender are detailed in a document that the Ukrainian energy minister, Denys Shmyhal, showed to European partners in Paris two weeks ago, two sources familiar with his presentation said.

A copy of the plan was obtained by The New York Times and reportedly involves causing Ukraine’s energy system to collapse through a series of continued attacks, with strikes using up to 1,000 missiles, drones, and bombs. Substations, hydroelectric and thermal power plants, and boiler houses would also be targeted.

Additionally, it shows that Russia is preparing to force Ukraine’s three operating nuclear plants to shut down. It would do this by launching missiles at the electrical switchyards that connect them to the grid, which are situated less than a mile from the reactors.

Ukraine’s water system would also be targeted under the chilling plan, which includes pumping stations and wastewater treatment facilities. This would mark the first time Russia has attacked such sites on a large scale. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials have expressed concern that the country has limited backup plans should it face such catastrophic water disruptions.

At the top of the list of targets are Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odesa, with plans to cut electricity supplies by 90 percent and reduce heating supplies by up to 90 percent. The sewage systems would also be heavily disrupted.

Russia’s Vladimir Putin has admitted publicly that his military will unleash significant attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure this winter, which he characterizes as retaliation for Ukraine targeting Russia’s oil refineries.

It comes after Russia fired 2,850 jet-propelled drones at Ukraine in August, but by Tuesday (September 29), it had already launched 3,177 this month, Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said.

In a social media post earlier this week, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky wrote, saying that “the closer we get to winter, the more of this protection we need.”

“We must do everything to ensure that Russia’s bet on ballistic missile and drone terror does not pay off.”