Russia launched another round of strikes targeting Ukraine’s power infrastructure as autumn temperatures dropped, killing at least four people around Kyiv during a night of repeated air-raid alerts.

Kyiv said the attacks were the opening stage of a campaign aimed at disrupting heating and electricity before winter takes hold, a strategy it says Moscow has used repeatedly during the war. The Ukrainian capital faced a barrage of ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as high-speed attack drones, with sirens warning residents to move to basement shelters and metro stations.

Deadly Attacks Around Kyiv

At least four people were reported killed in and near Kyiv, including a young child found dead under rubble after a residential building was demolished in the wider region. Authorities also said fires broke out and damage was done to homes and businesses, along with vehicles, after blasts overnight.

In Moscow, Russia’s defence ministry said it carried out a “massive missile and drone strike” on Kyiv and surrounding areas, aimed at the region’s energy system. Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko said a driver at a local utility firm died when a warehouse was hit, and that two other people were killed elsewhere.

Power Grid Disrupted, Frost Forecast

Ukraine’s energy company DTEK said the grid had been damaged and supplies to 8,000 households were affected. It said engineers restored power, but warned that the capital faced another difficult night.

Generating equipment at the Trypillia thermal power station near Kyiv was also damaged in a strike, according to Sergiy Isachenko, chief executive of its operator, PJSC Centrenergo.

Ukraine’s weather service said the first overnight frosts were expected in many parts of the country from Thursday. The forecast raised concern that disruption could worsen as temperatures fall. The damage inflicted by Russian strikes last year left households without reliable light and heating when temperatures dropped to about -20C, Ukraine has said.

Prime Minister Sergiy Koretsky said Russia had been hitting energy infrastructure almost daily since the summer. He added that the large combined scale of Wednesday’s attack was the first of its type since the end of the previous heating season.

Calls For Backup Power, After Court Warnings

Koretsky urged local authorities to verify the readiness of backup power systems for critical facilities and to complete installation and connection work as quickly as possible.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in 2024 for Russia’s then military leaders over attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid, stating the attacks amounted to a war crime due to “excessive harm” to civilians.

Residents in Kyiv described the pressure of living through repeated alerts. Some kept watching their phones and scanning Telegram channels and apps that track drones and missiles. A university worker, Tetiana Ivashchuk, said she tried to stay calm, adding that she relied on coffee to cope with the stress.

The Ukrainian defence and energy situation has been complicated by changes in drone tactics. Ukraine has said Russia has been using newer, jet-powered drones that travel faster and are harder to intercept than older models, including those based on Iranian Shaheds.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he visited frontline troops in the east on Wednesday, and he has continued to press allies for additional support, including US-made interceptors to defend against ballistic missiles. With long-range strikes continuing and peace talks making little progress, fears of further civilian harm remain on both sides.

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30 September 2026

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Time for Ukraine to hit Russian power grids see how the people like that!

5 minutes ago, Brettoj said:

Time for Ukraine to hit Russian power grids see how the people like that!

Agree, but Ukraine is very careful about hurting civilians. They continue hitting oil refineries and factories producing weapon parts instead, long inside Russia. Huge damages lately, and the long queues for gasoline is real. So is the huge hit on Russian economy.

Russia on the other hand, are doing what terrorists do, they have never had any decency, hitting hospitals, kindergartens, civilian buildings, taking out power grids for civilians etc., and that's why they're wanted for war crimes.

And what is mind boggling, in here there are members on Aseannow cheering for Russia to keep doing more war crimes.. You know who you are, you should be ashamed of yourselves. You're really f'd up.

In the meantime, Ukraine is doing very well at the Lyman area, pushing Russians back over the river there in a pretty fast tempo. 250 Russian soldiers have been taken as prisoners, and the Ukrainian army is still going forward on the east side of the river.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by thaibreaker

5 minutes ago, Brettoj said:

Time for Ukraine to hit Russian power grids see how the people like that!

Tit for tat. This is part of the nature of attritional war where the goal is to lose more slowly than the other side. Aside from this I'm not sure the Geran-5 can be called a drone. IMO it's more like a guided missile and Ukraine simply does not seem to have any effective defences against it.

17 minutes ago, thaibreaker said:

Agree, but Ukraine is very careful about hurting civilians. They continue hitting oil refineries and factories producing weapon parts instead, long inside Russia. Huge damages lately, and the long queues for gasoline is real.

Russia on the other hand, are doing what terrorists do, they have never had any decency, hitting hospitals, kindergartens, civilian buildings etc., and that's why they're wanted for war crimes.

You've been reading too much MSM if you believe the underlined.

2 minutes ago, impulse said:

You've been reading too much MSM if you believe the underlined.

555, you're badly informed. I don't need to read fake news from either side. I have family and friends in both countries.

One thing you Russian supporters should understand. Putin lies. Russia lies. Every single day. Ukraine are being followed very closely by their allies. They can't afford to make terrorist attacks, or go after civilians, because of their NATO countries' support. Ukraine depends heavily on support from countries who are not accepting any attack on civilians.

Russia does not have any filters like that, and they do war crimes on a daily basis.

Edited 42 minutes ago42 min by thaibreaker

I’m sure the Russians are going to continue to go after the power grids to make it harder on the citizens. I hope the mamas and grandmas have been making blankets to stay warm. I grew up in a house with just a fireplace for heat and believe me, mother was always making blankets for us to stay warm during the winters. Having no power is challenging enough for them and not much they can do if it gets hit again, but hopefully they can at least get warm. I couldn’t imagine going through what they are experiencing right now. It’s got to be physically and mentally exhausting.