Russia launches largest attack on Ukraine energy infrastructure since spring

What the report says

Russia carried out what Ukrainian officials described as the largest strike on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure since the spring, with overnight attacks focused mainly on Kyiv and the surrounding region, according to BBC World News. Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi said the scale of the assault marked the first combined attack of this size since the end of the last heating season, after months of repeated strikes on power facilities.

Local authorities said at least six people were killed and 33 others injured nationwide, including a child in the Kyiv region. Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klischko said three people were killed in the capital, while regional officials reported deaths in Sumy and Mykolaiv. The BBC said residential buildings, social infrastructure, civilian businesses and railways were also hit, and Ukraine’s energy ministry reported some households in several regions were still without electricity on Wednesday.

State-owned grid operator Ukrenergo urged residents to limit use of high-powered appliances because supplies were reduced. DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company, said it had restored power to 8,000 homes after a difficult night in Kyiv. The Russian defence ministry said one target was the Trypilska power station, a major supplier to the capital, though Ukrainian officials had not confirmed that claim.

The attacks fit a pattern seen in previous winters since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, when pressure on Ukraine’s energy system has repeatedly raised concerns about heating, electricity and civilian disruption.