A barrage of Russian ballistic missiles struck energy facilities and residential neighborhoods across Ukraine overnight, damaging a vital power station in Kyiv and leaving hundreds of thousands of people without electricity, officials said Wednesday.
The strikes killed at least six people nationwide, including three in the capital, according to Ukrainian emergency services and local authorities. The assault hit the Darnytska CHP-4 combined heat and power plant, which provides electricity and district heating to large sections of eastern Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The bombardment marked the second consecutive night of heavy strikes on the capital, occurring just days after U.S. President Donald Trump claimed an energy ceasefire had been agreed upon by both warring nations.
Missile warnings and intelligence questions
Zelenskyy expressed frustration that Ukraine did not receive advance notification of the incoming ballistic missiles from allied nations. Ukrainian air defenses usually receive early tips about missile launches through the Battlespace Command and Control Center network, which is managed by the United States and NATO allies, Politico reported.
“A Russian ballistic missile attack on Kyiv. Once again, no early warning from our partners,” Zelenskyy said in a statement, calling the lack of notice unjust as critical municipal systems came under fire. He stated that Ukrainian detection systems tracked the missiles only when they were already approaching Kyiv.
An official familiar with the matter told Politico that American authorities cited severe weather conditions for why no alert was transmitted. Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ignat said technical issues have occasionally interrupted the data feed in the past and that specialists would work with international partners to resolve any glitches.
Trump dismissed speculation that Washington had severed intelligence sharing with Ukraine. Speaking on Tuesday, the American president affirmed that the U.S. continues to provide intelligence assistance while working to bring both sides toward negotiations.
Casualties and extensive power disruptions
In Kyiv, a strike on a multistory apartment building in the Desnianskyi district killed two people and wounded 21 others, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Another fatality occurred in the capital’s Golosiivsky district, emergency officials reported.
Outside the capital, military authorities reported that Russian attacks killed two individuals in the Dnipropetrovsk region and one person in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region. The private energy company DTEK introduced emergency blackouts across several Kyiv districts, while regional leaders sounded alarms across Kharkiv, Zhytomyr, Sumy, and Chernihiv.
The Russian Defence Ministry said Wednesday it had launched a massive wave of strikes aimed at Ukrainian communications and energy facilities, the Interfax news agency reported. Moscow stated its forces targeted four power stations in and around Kyiv, an electrical substation, energy sites in Kharkiv, and a military-linked data facility.
Complications on the front line
Ukrainian operations faced further friction overnight when mobile internet connectivity was curtailed. Sergiy Beskrestnov, a technology adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, reported that SpaceX imposed a speed restriction capping Starlink terminal operations above 160 kilometers per hour, hampering certain combat tasks.
Simultaneously, Russian regional officials claimed repelling substantial Ukrainian drone operations. Saratov Gov. Roman Busargin reported one civilian death in the city of Balakovo, where an industrial center and a major bank data center are located. Russia’s military claimed air defenses intercepted hundreds of drones overnight across the country, including around Moscow.
Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham in London on Wednesday to discuss accelerating shipments of air defense hardware. Officials in Kyiv continue assessing the extent of damage to municipal power grids as freezing temperatures approach.
