Russia launched one of its heaviest attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure in months on Wednesday, damaging power facilities around Kyiv and other regions and forcing authorities to impose emergency electricity cuts as colder weather approaches.
Reports indicate that at least seven people, including a child, were killed across Ukraine during the assault, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The attack involved nearly 190 drones and ballistic missiles, with Ukraine's air force reporting that it intercepted five missiles and 155 drones.
The strikes represented a significant escalation in Russia's campaign against Ukraine's power system just as the country prepares for another wartime winter. Ukraine's state grid operator Ukrenergo imposed emergency power cuts in Kyiv and three surrounding regions, marking the first such emergency restrictions in the capital since spring.
The outages disrupted daily life almost immediately. Some tram and trolleybus services in Kyiv stopped operating as residents attempted to return home from work, while emergency crews worked to stabilize the electricity network.
Kyiv also woke Wednesday under smoke and fog after overnight strikes damaged a key power plant and other energy infrastructure around the capital. The air raid alert lasted more than 12 hours.
"Since summer, there's barely been a day without an attack on our energy infrastructure," Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi said, adding that Ukraine had not experienced a combined energy attack of this magnitude since the end of the previous heating season.
The latest barrage follows days of intensified Russian drone attacks on Kyiv and comes as Ukraine prepares for freezing temperatures. Ukrainian officials have warned for months that Moscow could again concentrate attacks on electricity and heating systems during winter, when damage to the grid can have particularly severe consequences for civilians.
Last winter, Russian attacks severely damaged Ukraine's energy and heating infrastructure during periods of record-low temperatures, forcing households and businesses to cope with prolonged disruptions.
Ukraine had already been working to reinforce its energy network before Wednesday's assault. Zelenskyy met with European Bank for Reconstruction and Development President Odile Renaud-Basso on Monday to discuss winter preparations and additional support for the energy sector, including efforts to increase and protect electricity generation.
Koretskyi ordered local authorities Wednesday to check backup power systems at critical facilities and accelerate installations where necessary. The pressure comes as Ukraine continues to seek additional air defense systems and interceptors from Western partners.
Zelenskyy said this week that Kyiv was preparing new talks with allies focused partly on air defense, particularly protection against ballistic missiles and increasingly sophisticated Russian drones.
Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed carrying out strikes overnight, saying its forces targeted energy facilities in the Kyiv region, a communications center in the capital, an industrial complex in the Odesa region and port infrastructure in Izmail. Moscow said the facilities were connected to Ukraine's military operations.
Russia has repeatedly denied deliberately targeting civilians, while its missile and drone campaign has struck cities and civilian infrastructure throughout the war. The effects of Wednesday's attack also spilled beyond Ukraine's borders. Moldovan authorities said a drone crossed into the country's airspace and exploded near the eastern village of Hirbovet.
NATO members Romania and Poland scrambled military aircraft, while operations at Poland's Lublin and Rzeszow airports were temporarily disrupted. Ukraine, meanwhile, has intensified its own long-range strikes against targets inside Russia, including oil refineries and other infrastructure Kyiv says supports Moscow's war effort.
