At least 600,000 people across Ukraine are left without electricity following a wave of deadly overnight Russian missile and drone strikes, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky reported that critical energy infrastructure was struck in Kyiv, the surrounding capital region, and the north-eastern city of Kharkiv.
The attacks occurred despite a claim made by US President Donald Trump that an energy ceasefire had been agreed upon by both Russia and Ukraine. In the capital, Ukraine's state emergencies service reported that at least three people were killed and 21 others were injured.
Russia's defense ministry stated that its massive overnight operations specifically targeted communications and energy installations in the Kyiv and Kharkiv areas utilized by the Ukrainian military. The ministry also claimed that air defense systems shot down 902 Ukrainian drones overnight across multiple Russian regions, including Moscow and the annexed Crimean peninsula.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian air force reported that Moscow launched 39 ballistic and cruise missiles alongside 128 drones, with air defenses intercepting four of the missiles and 115 of the drones.
President Zelensky has previously stated that Ukraine is prepared to halt its attacks on Russian oil refineries and energy sites if Moscow reciprocates. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov rejected the idea, asserting that Ukraine does not deserve the respite a truce would provide and that a pause would allow Europe to supply Kyiv with additional weapons.
Since the full-scale invasion ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2022, Russian forces have maintained control over approximately 20 percent of Ukrainian territory.