Hundreds of thousands left without power after Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy network
Attacks overnight damaged key power infrastructure; Kyiv reports missile and drone strikes, Moscow claims to have downed hundreds of drones.
At least 600,000 Ukrainians were left without electricity after a large-scale Russian assault on the country’s energy network overnight, Ukrainian officials said, in attacks that also killed three people and wounded 21.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said key parts of the energy infrastructure around Kyiv and Kharkiv were hit. The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine reported that the Russian armed forces launched 39 ballistic and cruise missiles and 128 unmanned aerial vehicles. Ukrainian air defences intercepted and destroyed 115 of the drones but shot down only four of the missiles.
Russian counterclaims and the wider escalation
At the same time, Russian authorities claimed to have neutralised a mass Ukrainian strike, saying they had downed as many as 902 drones across several regions, including over Moscow.
Over the weekend, US President Donald Trump said Moscow and Kyiv had agreed to an energy ceasefire — a halt to strikes on power infrastructure — but the attacks have nevertheless continued.
Zelensky said Ukraine would be prepared to halt strikes on Russian oil facilities and data centres if Moscow stops bombing Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov rejected the proposal, arguing that Ukraine did not deserve a respite and that a ceasefire would only allow Western allies to "fill" Ukraine with weapons so it could continue to fight Russia.
Photo: press material from the event
