KYIV — Russian forces carried out a massive overnight bombardment targeting Ukraine’s power grid, marking the heaviest assault on the country's energy infrastructure since the spring. Local officials reported that the strikes left at least six people dead and injured 33 others in various regions.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi stated that while routine strikes have occurred nearly every day for months, a combined offensive of this magnitude has not been witnessed since the conclusion of the previous heating season. Kyiv and its surrounding province bore the brunt of the assault.
The Russian defense ministry asserted that the operation successfully struck the Trypilska power station, which serves as the primary electricity provider for the capital. Ukrainian officials have not yet confirmed the status of that specific facility.
Eleven different regions across the nation experienced overnight bombardments. Strikes hit residential neighborhoods, public facilities, commercial enterprises, and railway networks. President Volodymyr Zelensky noted that critical infrastructure was directly impacted in Zhytomyr, Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad, and Rivne.
Morning daylight revealed a heavy, acrid haze hanging over Kyiv following a night marked by repeated explosions and air defense operations. Local authorities urged residents in affected districts to keep their windows sealed until the thick smoke dissipated.
Emergency crews and utility workers scrambled to restore essential services. The nation's largest private energy provider, DTEK, reported that electricity service had been brought back to 8,000 homes in the capital area after a particularly severe night.
By Wednesday, however, outages persisted in multiple regions, including Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Sumy, and Kharkiv. State grid operator Ukrenergo urged the public to limit their use of heavy electrical appliances during afternoon peak hours to ease the strain on the diminished power network.
Tragically, the human toll of the overnight raids was significant. Kyiv regional governor Timur Tkachenko confirmed that a child was among the fatalities, with rescue workers recovering the body from beneath the debris of a collapsed home.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klischko reported three fatalities within the capital itself, which included a utility worker who died at a targeted warehouse facility. Local officials in other parts of the country also reported casualties, with two deaths recorded in the north-eastern Sumy region and one in Mykolaiv.
Ukraine has anticipated a renewed campaign against its heating and power networks as colder weather approaches, a pattern that has repeated annually since the launch of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
Reporting based on coverage first published by BBC News. Read the original report at BBC News.
