Russia has used more than 450 drones and 30 missiles in an overnight attack on Ukraine’s energy sector, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
The president said there were power outages in nine regions and reiterated the need for more air defence support from allies.
“It is precisely the civilian and energy infrastructure that is the main target of Russia’s strikes ahead of the heating season,” President Zelenskiy said on X.
Parts of Kyiv lost power during the attack, with several floors of a block of flats in the Pecherskyi district catching fire after being hit by a drone.
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Pic: Reuters
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Damage to the interior of one of the flats that caught fire in Kyiv. Pic: Reuters
Fragments from shot-down drones landed in a number of areas of the capital and mayor Vitali Klitschko said eight people had been taken to hospital.
The mayor said there were power cuts and disruptions to the water supply in districts on the east of Kyiv’s Dnipro River.
Russia has recently launched several large attacks on Ukraine‘s infrastructure as winter looms. A missile and drone attack last week caused serious damage to key gas production facilities.
Around 28,000 families were still without electricity in Kyiv region on Friday morning, according to Governor Mykola Kalashnyk, while officials in the central Poltava region said 17,000 had lost power.
A seven-year-old boy was also killed and four people were injured in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, where 12 apartment blocks were damaged.
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Rescuers carry an injured woman into an ambulance in Kyiv. Pic: AP
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A building was also hit in Brovary, near Kyiv. Pic: AP
Energy minister Svitlana Grynchuk confirmed that energy sites had been targeted by the overnight attacks.
“As soon as safety conditions allow, energy experts will begin clarifying the consequences of the attack and conducting restoration work,” she said.
Russia’s now-familiar tactic is to launch hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles simultaneously to try to overwhelm air defences.
At least five people were killed – with tens of thousands also losing power – in another attack on Monday.
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The latest situation on the ground in Ukraine
The war in Ukraine has been going on for more than three and half years after Russia invaded the country.
It now holds a significant slice of the east of the country – with small gains still occurring – but its vision of overrunning the country in a short timeframe never materialised.
Russia is also in charge of Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.
President Zelenskyy has called for more air defence units, particularly the US-made Patriot system, as well as tighter sanctions to try to pressure Vladimir Putin to negotiate.
He said on X: “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.”