Russia launched one of its largest overnight assaults of the war late Friday, sending nearly 600 drones and dozens of missiles across Ukraine, killing at least three people, injuring many more, and plunging large swaths of Kyiv into darkness, according to Euro News.
Ukrainian authorities said the attack involved 596 drones alongside 36 missiles of various types. The capital was the primary target, where two people were killed. Another woman died in the surrounding Kyiv region, where at least eight more were injured, according to regional police.
Ukraine’s military reported intercepting 558 drones and 19 missiles, but debris and direct strikes still hit 22 locations, with damage reported in 17 others due to falling fragments. The bombardment included Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles, cruise missiles, Iskander ballistic missiles, and guided air-launched munitions.
The strikes knocked out power to 500,000 residents in Kyiv and another 100,000 in the surrounding region as temperatures hovered just above freezing. Private energy provider DTEK said power had been restored to roughly 360,000 customers by midday.
Kyiv and Western governments have long accused Moscow of deliberately targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure to strip civilians of heat, light, and water as winter sets in—part of what they describe as Russia’s psychological warfare.
Meanwhile, Ukraine hit back. A Ukrainian drone strike damaged a major Russian oil terminal operated by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium in Novorossiysk, forcing the suspension of operations at one of its mooring points. Ukrainian officials said naval drones were used to target the facility as part of ongoing efforts to curb Russia’s wartime oil revenue.
The escalation comes as a Ukrainian delegation led by National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umierov arrives in the United States for peace-plan discussions with American officials. Kyiv says it is prepared to pursue a negotiated settlement, if Russia signals it is ready to end the war. A U.S. team is expected to travel to Moscow next week for follow up talks.
