Russia strikes Kiev and Odessa, leaving hundreds of thousands without power

A Russian night attack hit several Ukrainian cities. In southern Odessa, nearly 300,000 people were left without electricity and water supplies, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said on Thursday. He added that approximately 200 buildings in the city lost heating. About 10,000 customers in southeastern Dnipro were also left without heat.

Ukraine's largest private energy company announced that Russia had attacked its thermal power plant during the night, causing significant damage to technological equipment. According to the company, this was the eleventh massive attack on its thermal power plants since October 2025.

The Ukrainian Air Force said that Russia fired 24 ballistic missiles, one guided missile, and sent 219 drones overnight. According to the Air Force, air defenses shot down or neutralized 16 missiles and 197 drones. The main targets were Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Odesa.

In Kyiv, nearly 2,600 apartment buildings in four districts on both banks of the Dnieper River lost heating after the attack, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. More than 1,100 other homes were already without heat after previous attacks.

(reuters, lud)