Russian forces could move toward broader strikes on Ukrainian power plants after cutting the country off from maritime access and damaging its communications infrastructure, according to military expert and air defense historian Yuri Knutov.

Knutov argued that the power sector could become the next major focus. He said the destruction of power plants, including facilities hit in Kyiv and the surrounding area, is particularly significant and linked this pressure to Ukraine’s reduced export capacity.

According to the expert, energy facilities may become priority targets because they supply electricity to enterprises involved in the production and assembly of attack drones, cruise missiles and other military equipment.

Knutov said further pressure on the power grid would seriously disrupt Ukrainian industry. In his assessment, factories cannot operate normally without electricity. Diesel generators could provide an alternative, but they would require large amounts of fuel and produce visible exhaust that could expose their locations.

Ukraine’s economy minister previously said every hour of business disruption caused by air raid alerts costs the country about $45 million. Damage to Ukraine’s main assets in 2026 has already reached roughly $10 billion.

The article also states that Russian forces carried out a series of precision strikes overnight on September 30 against targets linked to Ukraine’s military-industrial sector, including energy infrastructure.