Russian air attack cuts power to more than a million Ukrainians

A large-scale Russian air attack on Ukraine’s energy system has left more than one million people without electricity during sub-zero winter temperatures, as explosions rocked Kyiv overnight and into Saturday morning, Ukrainian officials said.

Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said more than 3,200 buildings in Kyiv were still without heating late on Saturday, down from about 6,000 earlier in the day, as temperatures hovered around minus 10 degrees Celsius. More than 160 emergency crews were working in the capital to restore services, with repair teams also deployed in western and southern regions.

Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Telegram that more than 800,000 households in Kyiv remained without power, alongside another 400,000 in the northern Chernihiv region. He warned that continued Russian strikes were preventing the stabilisation of the electricity network.

Many residents were already enduring freezing conditions after previous attacks damaged Kyiv’s centralised heating system, leaving some apartments without consistent heat or electricity for days.

The strikes came as U.S.-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine, involving trilateral discussions in the United Arab Emirates, continued for a second day before adjourning without signs of progress. Further talks are expected next weekend.

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Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said Russia targeted the capital and four regions in northern and eastern Ukraine, adding that authorities were accelerating repairs, increasing electricity imports and introducing alternative power capacity.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said one person was killed and four injured in the capital, with three hospitalised. In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, more than 30 people, including a child, were injured.

Klitschko visited Troyeshchyna, a northeastern district of Kyiv where around 600 buildings were left without power, water and heat. He said vulnerable residents were being provided with hot meals and medicine, while additional heated shelters were operating around the clock. The city has also loosened its wartime night-time curfew to allow residents to reach warming centres.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 375 drones and 21 missiles, including two rarely used Tsirkon ballistic missiles, in the overnight assault. Kyiv’s skyline was repeatedly lit by air-defence fire as loud explosions echoed across the city.

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