Kyiv awoke to a city under strain on Saturday as Ukrainian authorities raced to stabilise a power grid battered by a renewed wave of Russian strikes, leaving large parts of the capital without electricity, heating and water in the depths of winter. The damage, inflicted by attacks over recent days including one late last week, pushed critical infrastructure close to collapse and forced residents to endure freezing conditions inside darkened apartment blocks.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said the situation in Kyiv remained “very difficult,” warning that engineers were working against severe damage compounded by surging demand. As temperatures plunged, many households turned to electric heaters, further burdening a grid already weakened by missile and drone strikes. Emergency crews worked around the clock to restore power and water supplies, but officials cautioned that repairs would take time due to the scale of destruction.
The latest assault has drawn swift international attention. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha confirmed on Saturday that the United Nations Security Council would convene an emergency meeting on Monday to address Russia’s most recent large-scale attack, which he said involved the use of an Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile. Writing on social media, Sybiha accused Moscow of “flagrant breaches of the UN Charter” and said Kyiv would press for stronger international pressure in response.
The UN secretary-general’s office echoed concerns about the humanitarian toll. Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Russia’s major attacks on Friday resulted in “significant civilian casualties” and left millions of Ukrainians without essential services at a moment of acute need. With winter conditions worsening, the loss of heating and water has heightened fears for vulnerable populations, including the elderly and families with young children.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said diplomatic efforts continued in parallel with emergency response measures. He confirmed that Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, held talks with representatives of the United States on Saturday as Kyiv and Washington seek to agree on a framework aimed at ending the nearly three-year-long war. Zelenskyy said communication with the US was taking place “practically on a daily basis,” underlining the importance Kyiv places on maintaining Western backing as fighting intensifies.
While Ukraine grappled with damage at home, Russian border regions also reported disruption. Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, said about 600,000 residents were left without electricity, heating and water following what he described as a Ukrainian missile strike. In a statement posted on Telegram, Gladkov said restoration work was under way but described conditions as “extremely challenging,” highlighting how the conflict continues to spill across borders.
Ukrainian forces, meanwhile, claimed a series of strikes deep inside Russian-controlled or Russian territory. Officials in Russia’s southern Volgograd region said a fire broke out at an oil depot after a Ukrainian drone attack overnight. Ukraine’s General Staff later said it had targeted the Zhutovskaya oil depot, describing it as a facility supplying fuel to Russian forces. The military said the extent of the damage was still being assessed.
In addition to the Volgograd strike, Ukraine said it had hit a drone storage facility linked to Russia’s 19th Motor Rifle Division in the Zaporizhzhia region of southern Ukraine, as well as a drone command-and-control point near the eastern city of Pokrovsk. Kyiv has increasingly focused on targeting fuel depots, logistics hubs and drone infrastructure, arguing that such strikes are necessary to blunt Russia’s ability to sustain attacks on civilian infrastructure.
Russian officials reported further overnight drone activity on Sunday. In the southern city of Voronezh, Governor Alexander Gusev said at least four people were injured when Ukrainian drones struck residential areas, damaging an emergency services facility, seven apartment buildings and six houses. Emergency crews were deployed to assess the damage and provide assistance to affected residents.
Moscow, for its part, defended its campaign against Ukraine’s energy network. Russia’s defence ministry said on Saturday that its forces used a combination of aviation, drones, missiles and artillery to strike Ukrainian energy facilities and fuel-storage depots on Friday and overnight. The ministry did not provide details on specific targets or the extent of damage but has previously argued that such strikes are aimed at degrading Ukraine’s military-industrial capacity.
For civilians in Kyiv and other affected cities, the immediate concern remains survival through winter nights without heat or light. Local authorities urged residents to conserve electricity where possible and to seek out warming centres established across the capital. As repair crews battled the cold and ongoing security risks, officials warned that further attacks could not be ruled out, leaving Ukraine’s fragile energy system under constant threat as the war grinds on.
