Russian strikes leave nearly 60% of Kyiv without power

Kyiv has been plunged into a major blackout after a fresh wave of missile and drone strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leaving roughly 60 percent of the capital without electricity and thousands of residents without heat during an intense winter cold snap. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy posted on X that “about 4,000 buildings in Kyiv are still without heat, and nearly 60 percent of the capital is without electricity.”

The strikes overnight and into Tuesday compounded earlier damage this month and forced municipal services and energy crews into round‑the‑clock emergency repairs. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko offered a higher tally in local briefings, saying “5,635 residential buildings are without heating,” and authorities reported that more than 5,600 homes lost power after the latest barrage. Officials cautioned that figures are evolving as teams work through multiple reconnections and secondary failures in a network already weakened by earlier attacks.

Beyond the capital, facilities across several regions were struck, in some cases hitting substations that the International Atomic Energy Agency said are critical for nuclear safety. The agency reported that the Chernobyl power plant had lost all off‑site power for a period, a development that prompted immediate safety monitoring and placed additional strain on emergency protocols for nuclear sites.

Temperatures across Kyiv plunged into double digits below freezing as crews wrestled with repairs. City officials and volunteers opened hundreds of tents, warmed public transport hubs and used metro stations as improvised shelters for those without heating. Photographs captured children playing on snow slopes by flashlight amid blackouts, and long lines formed at water distribution points as pumps and local systems faltered.

The human toll included at least one fatality near Kyiv and injuries to at least one woman, according to municipal statements. Damage assessments noted hits to residential blocks and a primary school, and many families reported being reconnected only to lose power again when new strikes hit distribution lines and substations.

Moscow has defended the campaign, with Kremlin and ministry statements asserting the strikes are aimed at military targets and facilities “that support Ukraine’s military.” Kyiv officials and international legal observers say the repeated targeting of energy infrastructure risks disproportionate civilian suffering and may violate international law. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for two senior Russian military officials in recent months over attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid, citing those strikes as potential war crimes because of the predictable harm to civilians.

Municipal and national teams say restoration is their immediate priority, but they face logistical and security challenges as repairs require repeated access to damaged components across a wide area. Utilities say some reconnections are provisional while engineers assess for hidden faults that could trigger further outages. International aid groups and partner governments are coordinating to supply generators, fuel and additional temporary shelters, but experts warn that prolonged outages in low temperatures pose escalating risks to vulnerable populations, including the elderly and young children.

As Kyiv moves into another night of subzero temperatures, the strikes have underscored the intersection of military strategy and civilian vulnerability in the conflict, raising fresh questions about accountability for attacks on critical infrastructure and the international community’s capacity to protect and sustain urban populations during sustained hostilities.