Russia launched a wave of massive overnight attacks across Ukraine early Tuesday, striking Kyiv, the Kyiv region, Odesa, the Dnipropetrovsk region and the outskirts of Kharkiv in a renewed attempt to cripple the country’s energy infrastructure amid deadly winter cold.
The assault unfolded in multiple waves, combining Shahed drones with ballistic and cruise missiles. In Kyiv, where temperatures dropped to –16°C (+3°F), explosions continued to rock the city throughout the night.
The capital was hit twice. The first wave began around 1 a.m., when several ballistic missiles were fired from multiple directions. After 4 a.m., a second wave followed, with dozens of drones and cruise missiles targeting Kyiv and surrounding areas.
Journalists from Kyiv Post living in different districts reported loud explosions throughout the night and early morning. Monitoring channels said energy facilities were among the primary targets.
Large parts of the Kyiv region were left without electricity. The towns of Irpin, Bucha and Hostomel were almost completely blacked out, with residents also reporting water supply disruptions.
In Kyiv itself, emergency power cuts were introduced on the morning of Jan. 13 on the orders of Ukrenergo after infrastructure was damaged in the overnight attack, city authorities said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces launched nearly 300 strike drones, including mostly Shaheds, 18 ballistic missiles, and seven cruise missiles overnight. He said the main targets were energy facilities—power plants, generation facilities, and substations.
“Where Russia tries to destroy, Ukrainians support each other,” Zelensky said. “Internal resilience is now crucial. Each strike against life reminds the world that support for Ukraine cannot stop. The cold will not help Russia win. Air defense systems are needed every day, especially in winter.”
The latest strikes came as Kyiv was still struggling to recover from a major Russian attack last Thursday. Most districts of the capital remain without full heating, according to local officials and residents.
Kyiv Post correspondents said temperatures inside their apartments were hovering at around +11°C.
Kharkiv Strike Kills Four
In northeastern Ukraine, where temperatures fell to –15°C, Russian forces struck the outskirts of Kharkiv with several ballistic missiles overnight. One missile hit a logistics terminal belonging to Nova Poshta.
At least four people were killed and six injured. The terminal buildings were destroyed, and multiple fires broke out across an area of about 500 square meters.
Rescue teams from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine pulled 30 people from the site, including two from beneath the rubble of the collapsed structure.
Russia’s overnight assault also hit central Ukraine. In the Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian forces carried out a massed nighttime attack, injuring two civilians.
Further south, Odesa came under overnight attack as temperatures dropped to –7°C. Five people were injured, according to preliminary information.
Fires erupted in an unused new residential building, a fitness center, a vocational lyceum and a nearby garage with a passenger car. Firefighters quickly brought the blazes under control, but the damage was extensive.
Facades and windows of six nearby apartment buildings and a kindergarten were damaged, along with two garages and nine vehicles.
Emergency psychologists assisted 14 people, including one child. A total of 65 rescuers and 14 emergency vehicles were deployed.
Russian missiles struck a DTEK thermal power plant overnight, seriously damaging equipment. This marks the eighth major attack on the company’s plants since October. Repairs are currently underway.
Winter as a weapon
With millions of Ukrainians dependent on electricity for heat and water, and with major cities still recovering from earlier strikes, the latest attacks have intensified fears of a humanitarian catastrophe as Russia seeks to plunge the country into darkness and cold at the harshest point of winter.
In late December, after a series of attacks, Odesa was left without electricity for nearly a week – and in some areas without water and heating. In early January, Russian strikes disrupted power supply for several days in the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
On the night of Jan. 9, a massive Russian attack plunged Kyiv into a blackout. More than half of the city’s residential buildings lost electricity, water, and heating as temperatures fell to –15 °C (5°F).
While utilities were restored to most homes within two days, some residential buildings have now spent a fifth straight day without power and heat.