Ukraine's power grid is being targeted by Russia, sparking concerns that Putin may order a ballistic missile attack this weekend.

For the third consecutive year, Russia has been employing its primary winter strategy to attack Ukraine's power grid with freezing temperatures approaching, resulting in a "massive blow" to the country's largest energy company.

In one of the largest mass attacks on Ukraine's power grid, Moscow's forces launched 90 missiles and 200 drones, targeting power plants across Western Ukraine in the Lviv, Ternopil, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions, according to the Kyiv Independent.

At least half of the Ternopli region was left without power after equipment was reportedly damaged by the DTEK civilian energy company. The extent of the attack's severity is still unknown.

"The DTEK thermal power plant has been attacked more than 200 times since the start of the full-scale invasion, with this being the twelfth mass attack on the Ukrainian energy industry and the ninth on the company's energy enterprises. No casualties have been reported."

This week, reports emerged suggesting that Russia may launch another attack on Ukraine using its latest ballistic missile, the Oreshnik missile, which it first fired last month.

According to a U.S. National Security Council official, the attack could happen "as soon as this weekend," as reported in a Friday Financial Times article.

An official stated that the Oreshnik is not a significant change on the battlefield but rather another attempt by Russia to intimidate Ukraine, which will ultimately fail.

Another substantial attack threat is emerging as there are reports that Russian forces are making small gains in Donetsk near Pokrovsk, which could give Moscow access to supply routes to Zaporizhzhia, according to Estonian Intelligence on Friday.

Despite Russian efforts to encircle Kurakhove, Ukrainian forces have successfully repelled attacks on the town, according to Estonian Colonel Ants Kiviselg, head of EDE.

Ukrainian army chief Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi stated in a Facebook post on Wednesday that Russian forces are pushing all available resources towards breaking through the defenses of our troops.

The loss of Pokrovsk in Donetsk would not only threaten Ukraine's supply routes but also its ability to defend against Russia's efforts to control the entire region.

As the Trump administration prepares to take office in late January, concerns over whether the U.S. will continue to aid Ukraine are rising, coinciding with the growing pressure Ukraine is feeling in Donetsk.

President-elect Trump has not stated whether he will continue the U.S.'s support for Ukraine, and in a Time magazine interview on Thursday, he criticized Kyiv's use of U.S.-supplied ATACMS to target Russia.

"Trump stated that the war in Ukraine is a volatile situation and that anything can happen. He believes that the most dangerous thing currently is Zelenskyy's decision to shoot missiles into Russia, which he considers a major escalation and a foolish move."

In November, Biden abandoned his longstanding opposition to using U.S.-supplied missiles to target military objectives in Russia, following years of requests from Kyiv.

Zelenskyy and other U.S. security experts have long maintained that Ukraine should be allowed to attack Russia during its ongoing deadly invasion, and that targeting Russian weapons depots and military positions used to launch massive missile and drone campaigns that target Ukrainian civilians is crucial in turning the tide of the war.