KYIV: Russia has launched its largest combined attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure since the end of the last heating season, targeting Kyiv and surrounding regions in a barrage of missiles and drones.
Ukraine’s Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi said at least five people were killed overnight, including a child in the Kyiv region. Residential buildings, public facilities, businesses and railway infrastructure were also damaged across 11 regions.
“Since the summer, there has barely been a day without an attack on our energy infrastructure,” Koretskyi said. He described the latest operation as the biggest strike of its kind since the previous heating season ended, according to BBC News
President Volodymyr Zelensky said critical energy facilities in several regions had been hit, including Zhytomyr, Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad and Rivne. Some households in Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Sumy and Kharkiv remained without electricity on Wednesday.
Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, said it had restored power to about 8,000 homes after what it called “a difficult night” for the capital. Grid operator Ukrenergo asked residents to avoid using powerful electrical appliances between 10:00 and 16:00 local time because supplies were below normal levels.
Kyiv residents woke to thick smoke hanging over parts of the city as explosions and air-defence fire echoed through the night. Authorities advised people in several districts to keep their windows closed until the air cleared.
The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed that it had carried out what it called massive overnight strikes on Ukrainian facilities. It said the targets included the Trypilska thermal power plant, located about 40 kilometres from Kyiv. The plant’s operator, Centrenergo, confirmed damage and said it was assessing the situation.
Moscow said the facility supplied power to Ukraine’s defence industry. Ukrainian officials, however, said the attacks had also damaged civilian infrastructure and homes.
Russia also claimed that its forces had intercepted more than 380 Ukrainian drones over several regions, including Moscow. Ukraine said it had struck Russian military targets, including a drone warehouse in the occupied Donetsk region.
The latest strikes came as colder weather approaches and Ukraine prepares for another winter of pressure on its damaged power network. Since Russia’s full scale invasion began in 2022, repeated attacks on energy facilities have caused widespread outages and disrupted heating supplies.
Although Ukraine has reported limited gains near Lyman in Donetsk, the wider front line remains largely unchanged. The continuing attacks on the power grid suggest that the struggle is moving beyond the battlefield and into the homes, streets and winter lives of civilians.
