Russian Air Attacks Hit Ukraine’s Power Grid, Leaving 1.2 Million Without Electricity

Russia carried out a large-scale overnight air assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on Saturday, triggering widespread power cuts, damaging heating systems in Kyiv amid sub-zero temperatures, and wounding dozens of people across multiple cities, according to Reuters.

The strikes, launched in the early hours, left around 1.2 million properties without electricity nationwide. In Kyiv alone, nearly 6,000 buildings were without heating by Saturday morning as temperatures hovered around minus 10 degrees Celsius. Many apartments were already cold following earlier attacks that had disrupted the capital’s centralised heat distribution network, Reuters reported.

The bombardment came as U.S.-brokered trilateral talks between Russia and Ukraine continued for a second day in the United Arab Emirates, with no indication of a breakthrough on Friday. According to Reuters, the timing of the attack underscored Moscow’s continued pressure on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure despite ongoing diplomatic efforts.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said one person was killed in the capital and four others were injured, three of whom were hospitalised. In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, 19 people, including a child, were wounded. The city lies about 30 km from the Russian border and has been repeatedly targeted since the start of the invasion.

Russia has repeatedly struck Ukraine’s power grid since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022 and is now carrying out what Ukrainian officials describe as its most intense campaign against energy facilities this winter. As a result, many Ukrainians are receiving only a few hours of electricity a day, while some areas are without heat or water altogether, Reuters reported.

Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said more than 800,000 people in Kyiv and another 400,000 in the northern Chernihiv region were left without power following the latest strikes. Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired 375 drones and 21 missiles overnight, including two Tsirkon ballistic missiles, which are rarely deployed.

In Kyiv, air defences engaged incoming missiles and drones throughout the night, lighting up the sky with orange flashes as loud explosions echoed across the city. Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital’s military administration, said at least four districts were hit, with a medical facility among the damaged buildings.

The capital had already suffered two mass overnight attacks since the start of the year, which had knocked out electricity and heating to hundreds of residential buildings. Emergency services were still working to restore power and heating from those earlier strikes when Saturday’s attack occurred. Klitschko said many of the buildings that lost heating overnight had only recently had services restored.

In Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said 25 drones struck several districts of the city. Writing on Telegram, he said the attacks hit a dormitory housing displaced people and two medical facilities, including a maternity hospital.

According to Reuters, the latest assault further strained Ukraine’s energy system as winter conditions deepen, compounding the humanitarian impact of Russia’s sustained aerial campaign.

(With inputs from Reuters)