Russia has renewed its attacks on Ukraine's energy sector ahead of a new round of talks, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accusing Moscow of taking advantage of the cold weather to "terrorize people", DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
Russia deliberately carried out strikes on energy facilities overnight, Zelensky wrote, adding that nine people were injured. The Russian military fired more than 70 missiles of various types, including cruise missiles, as well as about 450 attack drones, he said.
The attacks hit Kharkiv and Sumy regions in northeastern Ukraine, the capital Kiev and its surroundings, as well as Dnipropetrovsk region in the southeast of the country, Odessa region in southern Ukraine and Vinnytsia region in the west of the country, authorities said.
Energy Minister Denys Shmygal described the attacks as an "attempted winter genocide", saying the strikes targeted civilian infrastructure. Hundreds of thousands of families, including children, were deliberately left without heating in the extreme winter conditions, he added.
Ukraine is experiencing record cold snaps, with temperatures in some areas dropping to double digits below zero. In Kiev, the forecast for the day was for temperatures as low as minus 20 (-20) degrees Celsius.
Power and heating outages
Ukrainian private energy operator DTEK said that the wave of attacks last night was the largest against the energy sector since the beginning of 2026. Electricity generation and distribution facilities, including heating and thermal power plants in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions, were damaged.
Two districts in the capital were left without heating after damage to the energy infrastructure, said Mayor Vitali Klitschko, with heating in 1,170 buildings cut off. The strikes damaged several residential buildings and sparked fires in some places.
Russian forces also attacked the outskirts of Kyiv. The regional governor of the Kiev region, Mykola Kalashnik, reported three injuries and several damaged residential buildings.
More than 50,000 residents in the Odessa region in southern Ukraine were left without electricity, said the head of the Odessa regional military administration, Oleg Kiper. Residential buildings, warehouses, administrative premises and cars were damaged in the strikes.
In Kharkiv, Mayor Igor Terekhov said that heating fluid would have to be drained from the system serving 820 buildings to prevent it from freezing, as one of the power plants was out of order.
Russia confirmed the strikes
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the strikes overnight, saying they were aimed at companies in the military-industrial complex and energy infrastructure facilities used by them.
The strikes were described as a response to Ukrainian attacks on civilian targets in Russia. The claims could not be independently verified.
Attacks before talks
The attacks came shortly before the start of a new round of talks to end the war in Ukraine. According to officials in Moscow and Kiev, direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiating delegations, mediated by the United States, will take place tomorrow and Thursday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Last week, US President Donald Trump said he had asked his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin not to carry out strikes in Ukraine, the capital Kiev and other cities, because of record cold temperatures. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed this, but said it only applied until last Sunday.
The attacks last night on civilian targets, especially energy infrastructure facilities, show that the partial pause in strikes against Ukraine has now ended.
Russia has demanded, among other conditions for ending the war, that Ukraine abandon its bid to join NATO and withdraw its troops from Ukrainian territories that Moscow has so far failed to seize.
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte arrived in Ukraine in a sign of the alliance's continued support. Zelensky posted photos on social media of himself and Rutte laying candles at a memorial to fallen Ukrainian soldiers in Kiev's central square. Zelensky said he would also discuss with Rutte possible aid packages from Ukraine's partners.
Rutte spoke to the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) during his visit, pledging to keep up the pressure on Russia and continue to support Ukraine. "I know the winter is cold, but spring will come," Rutte said.