Kyiv woke to air-raid sirens and thunderous explosions early Saturday as Russia launched one of its heaviest attacks in months, striking the city’s energy infrastructure just as peace talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the US began in Abu Dhabi.
“Kyiv is under a massive enemy attack,” Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram as explosions reverberated across the capital. Air-defense units fired almost continuously, and authorities warned of a possible ballistic missile threat, urging residents to remain in shelters.
Energy company DTEK reported that 88,000 households in the capital were temporarily without electricity following the overnight strikes. “Another tough night for the energy sector,” the company said. “Crews are working nonstop, despite the weather, to restore power to critical infrastructure and homes as quickly as possible.”
Russian forces launched missiles of multiple types, including at least two hypersonic Zircon missiles, and deployed hundreds of drones across Kyiv. The main targets appeared to be power and heating facilities, with explosions reported near CHP-5, CHP-6, and the Darnytsia CHP, the city’s largest combined heat and power plants.
In the Kyiv region, a substation in the Makariv district west of the city was struck by Kh-22 missiles launched from Tu-22 bombers – large, heavy Soviet-era missiles known for their low accuracy but massive destructive power.
Klitschko reported attacks in districts on both sides of the Dnipro River. A building in the Holosiivskyi district caught fire, prompting the mayor to send medical teams. Additional damage was reported in Desnianskyi, Dniprovskyi, and Solomianskyi districts.
According to Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s Military Administration, at least five districts were hit, with fires breaking out in two locations. “Drones were swarming the city, and there was a threat Russian missiles could be deployed,” Tkachenko said, later adding that one person died and four others were injured in the strikes.
Kyiv Post correspondents in Darnytskyi district reported powerful, sustained explosions, almost without pause. “It was extremely loud. Windows were shaking. Shahed drones were flying overhead,” one correspondent said. “The strikes tonight were non-stop.”
The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed that Kyiv was under “mass attack” by Russian drones and that air-defense systems had been activated. Parts of Kyiv’s left bank were left without heating and water as a result.
“As a result of the massive enemy attack and damage to critical infrastructure, nearly 6,000 homes in the capital are without heating again,” Klitschko said.
“Most of them are homes that had already been reconnected or were in the process of being reconnected after the attacks on Jan. 9 and 20. There are also water supply issues on the left bank and partially on the right bank. Utility and energy workers are working to restore services to Kyiv residents.”
The onslaught extended beyond the capital. In Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said Russian drones struck several districts, injuring 11 people and damaging at least three residential buildings. A Western diplomat described the attacks as “pressure on civilians – pressure timed to diplomacy.”
The strikes hit amid Kyiv’s worst winter energy crisis since Russia’s full-scale invasion began nearly four years ago. Power outages, water and heating shortages, and repeated attacks on the energy grid have left large sections of the city in darkness.
“Russia is trying to freeze Ukraine into submission,” a European diplomat told Kyiv Post. “And to signal in Abu Dhabi that it still holds the escalatory cards.”
The power shortages in Kyiv as a result of relentless Russian attacks has become dire.
This week it was reported that Russian strikes have left half of Kyiv without power, heating, or water, pushing the city toward a “humanitarian catastrophe,” Klitschko warned on Tuesday.
“Leave if you can,” Klitschko urged residents as emergency crews scrambled to restore services amid a cold snap with temperatures as low as –18°C (0°F). He said about 600,000 people have already fled Kyiv this month, out of a population of roughly three million.The Financial Times reported Friday that the US and Ukraine are reportedly going to discuss an energy truce – at first limited to the power grid and other energy sources – with Russia during the talks in Abu Dhabi.