In a significant escalation of hostilities, Russia has executed its most extensive aerial offensive against Ukraine in recent months, deliberately targeting critical energy infrastructure across multiple regions including Kyiv and Kharkiv. The coordinated strikes occurred as temperatures plunged to -20°C (-4°F), plunging over 1,000 residential buildings in the capital into heating blackouts and rendering a key power plant in eastern Kharkiv permanently inoperable.
The assault unfolded during NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s diplomatic visit to Kyiv, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelensky and addressed the Ukrainian parliament. Zelensky condemned Russia’s actions as deliberate “terror and escalation,” asserting that Moscow had chosen violence over diplomacy despite ongoing peace negotiations scheduled for Abu Dhabi later this week under US coordination.
Ukrainian air defenses faced overwhelming force, with officials reporting more than 70 ballistic and cruise missiles supplemented by 450 drones specifically deployed to saturate defense systems. The Air Force managed to intercept only 38 missiles, resulting in widespread damage to energy facilities. This represents the ninth massive attack on Ukraine’s energy sector since October, according to private power company DTEK, which confirmed two of its plants sustained direct hits.
Civilian impact has been severe, with residents forced to shelter in metro stations for over seven hours during the extended air raid. Many have taken to sleeping in improvised tents on platforms to escape the freezing conditions. The systematic targeting has created a critical shortage of repair crews, leaving thousands without heating for days or even weeks. Affected civilians report sleeping in multiple layers of clothing and blankets while relying on volunteer-run soup kitchens for warm meals.
Despite the humanitarian crisis, there appears to be growing resilience rather than submission among the population. As one Kyiv resident named Vera expressed while queuing for food: ‘Russia won’t get what it wants. We are stronger than them in any case.’ The attacks have reportedly damaged several residential buildings, with injuries resulting from falling debris when intercepted missiles crashed into civilian areas.