Russia has launched one of its heaviest winter barrages on Ukraine’s energy system, firing around 450 drones and more than 70 missiles across eight regions and knocking out heating for hundreds of thousands of people in sub‑zero temperatures.
The overnight strikes hit Kyiv and Kharkiv particularly hard, damaging power and heating infrastructure as well as several apartment blocks, a kindergarten building and other civilian sites. In the capital, authorities said about 1,170 apartment buildings were left without heating, while an air raid alert lasted more than five hours.
Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said facilities that heat water for homes were among the targets, leaving “hundreds of thousands of families, including children” without warmth as temperatures plunged to around minus 20 to minus 25 degrees Celsius. In Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported that over 800 buildings lost heat after water had to be drained from radiators to prevent them freezing and bursting.
Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said about 110,000 properties in Kharkiv were without heating, while public broadcaster Suspilne reported power outages in the towns of Izium and Balakliia and damage to two apartment blocks in the northern city of Sumy.
At least nine people were wounded nationwide, Ukrainian officials said, as drones and missiles struck both energy infrastructure and residential areas. Videos shared on social media showed flames engulfing upper floors of a Kyiv apartment building after a drone strike.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Moscow of choosing “terror and escalation” over diplomacy by hitting the grid on “the coldest days of winter” just ahead of new peace talks. He said Russia was trying to “freeze people into submission” instead of seeking a negotiated settlement.
The attacks came a day before trilateral talks involving Ukrainian, Russian and U.S. officials in Abu Dhabi, where Washington is attempting to broker progress towards ending nearly four years of full‑scale war. A first round of talks in late January produced no movement on the key issue of territory, with Russia still demanding more land in eastern Ukraine and Kyiv refusing to cede ground.
Ukraine and Russia had recently said they would pause strikes on each other’s energy infrastructure, but disagreed over how long the moratorium should last. The latest wave of Russian attacks underscores the vulnerability of Ukraine’s grid and the risks facing civilians as winter cold persists.
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