Russia hits Ukraine’s energy grid, over one million households lose power

More than one million households in Ukraine were left without electricity after a barrage of overnight Russian strikes hit the country’s energy and industrial infrastructure, Ukrainian officials said.

Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said five regions were affected and at least five people were injured. Emergency services were working to extinguish fires and restore power supplies. The regions hit included Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Odesa and Chernihiv.

Russian attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure have been frequent since the start of the war and have intensified with the onset of winter, when damage to energy facilities has a more severe impact on civilians.

The strikes came as US President Donald Trump’s overseas envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected to meet Ukrainian and European leaders in Germany for talks aimed at ending the war. Witkoff, who has been leading Trump’s mediation efforts between Kyiv and Moscow, is set to discuss the latest version of a proposed peace agreement. Officials have not confirmed the full list of participants, though The Wall Street Journal reported that UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are expected to attend.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched more than 450 drones and 30 missiles in the overnight assault. Russia’s defence ministry claimed it used a range of weapons, including Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, which are difficult to intercept because of their ability to manoeuvre mid-flight.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Ukraine’s Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant temporarily lost all offsite power overnight due to “widespread military activities affecting the electrical grid,” before being reconnected. The plant is not currently operating but requires a constant power supply to cool its reactors.

Meanwhile, in Russia, regional governor Roman Busargin said two people were killed in the Saratov region after a Ukrainian drone strike hit a residential building.