Russian missiles and drones struck the Ukrainian capital overnight into Wednesday, killing at least three people and injuring around 21 to 22 others, according to Ukraine's state emergencies service. The attack also hit energy infrastructure in the Kyiv region and the north-eastern city of Kharkiv, leaving more than 600,000 people across Ukraine without electricity.
In Kyiv's Desnianskyi district, a strike on a nine-storey residential block killed two people and injured 21, including a child. Rescuers pulled 16 residents from the building, and firefighters battled a blaze covering about 400 square metres. Sixteen of the injured were taken to hospital, four of them in serious condition. In the Holosiivskyi district, another person was killed and one was injured when a non-residential building was hit. Psychologists from the emergency services assisted 110 people at the affected sites. Some early reports gave a lower death toll, reflecting the fast-moving situation.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said a ballistic missile hit the Darnytska CHP-4 combined heat and power plant, which supplies the capital with heating and electricity. He said Ukraine had received no warning from its partners before detecting the incoming missiles. Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported power disruptions in the city. Russia's defence ministry described the strikes as "massive" and said they targeted communications and energy facilities used by Ukraine's military.
The attack came days after US President Donald Trump said an "energy ceasefire" was in place, halting strikes on energy targets. Zelensky accused Moscow of showing unprecedented disrespect towards the United States, calling the strike "entirely deliberate and demonstrative in its scale". He has said Ukraine is prepared to observe the truce if Russia does the same, an offer the Kremlin has not acknowledged.
Moscow, for its part, says Kyiv is the one violating the arrangement. Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Alexander Novak said Ukraine attacked two oil refineries, in the Saratov and Ryazan regions, and argued that Kyiv was not moving towards an energy truce. Dmytro Lytvyn, an adviser to Zelensky, called the claim "fake", saying other sites had been hit but not the refineries. Russia also said it shot down 900 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 180 near Moscow.
The exchange highlights how fragile and poorly defined the announced ceasefire appears to be: neither side has described agreed terms, and each accuses the other of continuing attacks on energy sites. Energy infrastructure has been a central target in the war, with consequences for civilians who depend on it for heating and power as colder weather approaches.