Power has been restored to more than 800,000 residents in Kyiv after Russian missile and drone strikes targeted Ukraine’s power grid on Friday, causing widespread blackouts and injuring at least 20 people. The strikes marked one of the largest concentrated assaults on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure since the war began more than three years ago.
Ukraine’s main private energy company, DTEK, confirmed Saturday that primary repairs had been completed, though localized outages remain. The attack hit residential buildings and critical infrastructure across the country, leaving large areas of Ukraine in the dark just as winter approaches.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko called the strikes “one of the largest” coordinated assaults on the country’s energy sector. Russia’s defense ministry claimed it targeted military-linked energy sites and used Kinzhal hypersonic missiles and drones to carry out the attack.
Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted or jammed 54 of 78 Russian drones overnight. Meanwhile, Russia claimed to have shot down 42 Ukrainian drones in its own airspace, indicating intensifying aerial combat on both sides.
The energy grid remains a key target in Russia’s winter warfare strategy, with repeated attempts to freeze out civilians and weaken public morale during the coldest months of the year. The attacks come amid mounting international coordination to financially support Ukraine’s defense efforts.
On Friday, leaders of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany held a joint call agreeing to use frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine’s military. In a statement, they said the action would apply more pressure on President Vladimir Putin and help bring him to the negotiating table. The countries vowed to coordinate closely with the United States in this effort.
