Emergency electricity outages were enforced across several parts of Kyiv on Saturday after a large-scale Russian missile and drone assault caused significant damage to power infrastructure and residential areas, Ukraine’s largest private energy producer, DTEK, confirmed.
According to DTEK, emergency power cuts were introduced primarily on the left bank of the Ukrainian capital after overnight attacks struck key electricity facilities. The state-run grid operator, Ukrenergo, also confirmed that multiple energy installations in Kyiv and nearby regions had been hit, forcing authorities to implement urgent stabilisation measures to prevent a wider collapse of the power grid.
Ukrainian officials described the attack as one of the most intense aerial offensives launched by Russia in recent months. Authorities said Moscow fired nearly 500 drones along with around 40 missiles of various types, including ballistic and hypersonic weapons. The scale and intensity of the assault made it one of the heaviest bombardments seen in the conflict in recent weeks.
The attack began in the early hours of Saturday and continued for several hours, keeping residents on edge as air raid sirens blared across Kyiv for nearly ten hours straight. Explosions were heard across multiple districts as air defence systems attempted to intercept incoming projectiles.
Local officials confirmed that at least one person was killed in the capital, while more than 25 others sustained injuries, including two children. Emergency services reported extensive damage to residential buildings, with more than ten apartment blocks and houses affected. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said rescue teams were combing through debris in search of people who might still be trapped under the rubble.
The Russian Defence Ministry later acknowledged carrying out what it termed a “massive strike,” claiming the operation targeted facilities associated with Ukraine’s armed forces and its military-industrial infrastructure. Moscow stated that the attack was carried out in response to Ukrainian strikes on civilian locations inside Russia.
The timing of the assault was particularly significant, coming just ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s scheduled discussions with former US President Donald Trump in Florida. The talks are expected to focus on security guarantees, military support, and territorial issues related to the ongoing war.
Reacting to the strikes, President Zelenskyy urged the United States and European nations to intensify pressure on Moscow. He said Russia was deliberately turning even the holiday period into “a time of destroyed homes and ruined power plants,” underscoring what he described as Moscow’s continued disregard for civilian life and infrastructure.
The attacks also triggered heightened security alerts in neighbouring Poland. Polish authorities scrambled fighter jets as a precautionary measure, and two airports were temporarily shut down. Officials later confirmed that no Russian aircraft had violated Polish airspace, but the response was taken as a safety measure due to the proximity and scale of the strikes.
As of Saturday, rescue operations and efforts to restore electricity were still underway. Energy crews worked to assess the full extent of the damage while emergency teams continued search and recovery operations. Authorities warned that power disruptions could persist as assessments and repairs continue, with the full impact of the attack still being evaluated.
