Russian missiles hit Ukraine power grid, leaves 1.2 million residents without power in sub-zero cold

Kyiv: Russia launched another massive attack on Ukraine's energy system overnight into Saturday, rocking Kyiv with explosions and leaving 1.2 million residents without power during sub-zero winter cold.

Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said more than 3,200 buildings in the capital were still without heating late on Saturday, down from 6,000 in the morning. Night-time temperatures hovered around minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 F).

More than 160 emergency crews were working in Kyiv to restore heating, he said, with crews also deployed in other affected areas, mainly in western and southern Ukraine.


Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said more than 800,000 Kyiv households remained without power, as well as a further 400,000 in Chernihiv region, north of the capital.

"As for power, constant enemy attacks unfortunately keep the situation from being stabilised," he wrote on Telegram.

Many apartments were already freezing due to disruption to Kyiv's centralised heating system after previous strikes.

The latest assault came as trilateral, U.S.-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine continued into a second day in the United Arab Emirates before adjourning with no sign of compromise. More talks are due next weekend.

Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said Russia targeted the capital and four regions in the country's north and east.

"We are quickly restoring damaged power generation facilities, increasing imports as much as possible, and introducing new alternative capacity," she said.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said one person was killed in the capital and four were injured, three of them hospitalised. More than 30 people, including a child, were injured in Ukraine's second city, Kharkiv.