Russian strikes batter Ukraine's energy grid

Seven killed as Kyiv warns of worst attacks on power sites in months

KYIV:

Russia launched a major overnight air assault on Ukraine's energy infrastructure on Wednesday, killing seven people and damaging power facilities around Kyiv and other regions in what Ukrainian officials described as the heaviest combined strike on the energy grid in months.

The attack came after days of intensifying drone barrages against the capital, fuelling fears that Moscow is preparing another winter campaign aimed at disrupting electricity and heating supplies as temperatures fall and Ukraine faces shortages of air defences.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi said that Russia had escalated to "massive strikes on energy infrastructure", adding that there had barely been a day without attacks on energy facilities since summer.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv and the surrounding area were the main targets in an assault involving nearly 190 drones and ballistic missiles. Ukraine's air force said it had shot down five missiles and 155 drones.

A child was among the seven people killed across Ukraine, Zelenskiy said, while critical infrastructure was struck in five regions and damage was reported in five others. The strikes damaged a key power plant and other energy facilities. The overnight assault triggered an air-raid alert lasting more than 12 hours.

Ukrainian authorities have been strengthening protective facilities, diversifying power generation and checking backup systems at critical sites ahead of the expected winter campaign. However, human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets warned of a critical shortage of urban shelters.

In neighbouring Moldova, a drone crossed into the country's airspace and exploded near Hirbovet. Romania and Poland scrambled military jets, while flights at two Polish airports were temporarily suspended.