Parts of Kyiv plunged into darkness after mass Russian attack

KYIV: Large parts of Kyiv were plunged into darkness in the early hours of Friday after Russian drones and missiles struck Ukrainian energy facilities, cutting power and water to homes and halting a key metro link across the Dnipro river.

In the latest mass attack targeting the energy system as winter approaches, electricity was interrupted in nine regions and over a million households and businesses were temporarily without power across the country. Ukraine’s prime minister called it one of the heaviest such strikes to date.

In southeastern Ukraine, a seven-year-old was killed when his home was hit and at least 20 people were injured. In Kyiv, an apartment block in the city centre was damaged by a projectile, while on the left bank of the Dnipro that divides the capital, crowds waited at bus stops with the metro out of action and people filled water bottles at distribution points.

“We didn’t sleep at all,” said Liuba, a pensioner, as she collected water. “From 2:30 a.m. there was so much noise. By 3:30 we had no electricity, no gas, no water. Nothing.”

According to Ukraine’s energy ministry, over 800,000 customers lost power in Kyiv because of the attack, with 380,000 still disconnected on Friday afternoon.

Ukrainians are bracing for a tough winter, as the full-scale war nears its fourth anniversary. Russia has intensified attacks on the energy system in recent weeks, striking power plants and gas production facilities, and local authorities are struggling with the scale of repairs required.

“It is precisely the civilian and energy infrastructure that is the main target of Russia’s strikes ahead of the heating season,” President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on X.

Calling for more support from Kyiv’s allies, he said: “What’s needed is not window dressing but decisive action – from the United States, Europe, and the G7 – in delivering air defence systems and enforcing sanctions.”

In Kyiv, Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk met G7 ambassadors and representatives from some of Ukraine’s biggest energy companies to discuss how allies could help protect the country against further attacks and repair the damage.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who was visiting Ukraine on Friday, said his country was looking at ways to support its neighbour.