Russian strikes leave 600,000 without power in Ukraine, Zelensky says

What the report says

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian missile and drone attacks overnight left about 600,000 people without electricity across the country. According to the BBC’s report, the strikes hit what Zelensky described as critical energy infrastructure in Kyiv, the surrounding region and the northeastern city of Kharkiv.

Ukraine’s state emergency service said at least three people were killed and 21 were injured in Kyiv. The BBC also reported that Russia’s defence ministry said its attacks targeted communications and energy sites used by Ukraine’s military in the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched dozens of missiles and drones, while Russian authorities said many Ukrainian drones were intercepted over several Russian regions.

The latest strikes came after US President Donald Trump claimed on social media that an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine was in effect. Zelensky has said Ukraine is prepared to stop striking Russian oil refineries and other energy sites if Moscow does the same, but Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has rejected the idea of a truce in terms that suggest Moscow sees no immediate pause ahead.

More broadly, the damage underscores how energy infrastructure remains a central target in the war, adding pressure on Ukraine’s power system as the country heads into another period of continued attacks.