At least six people have been killed and dozens injured after a new wave of Russian missile and drone strikes hit energy facilities and residential neighborhoods across Ukraine overnight, plunging parts of the country back into darkness as winter sets in.

Ukraine’s Air Force said Moscow launched more than 70 missiles and Shahed drones targeting critical infrastructure in 25 locations, including the capital Kyiv, as well as Dnipro, Lviv, Kharkiv, and Odesa. The barrage left large areas without electricity, heating, or running water — just days after temperatures dropped below freezing.

“These attacks are systematic terror against civilians,” said President Volodymyr Zelensky, condemning the strikes in a televised address. “Russia knows winter is coming and wants to weaponize the cold.”

Targets and Damage

Ukraine’s Energy Ministry confirmed that at least eight power substations and two thermal plants were damaged in the overnight assault, disrupting electricity across the central and western regions.

In Kyiv, explosions ripped through the Obolon and Solomianskyi districts, damaging apartment buildings and shattering windows in nearby schools. Emergency crews worked through the night to rescue trapped residents and restore power.

Local authorities in Dnipro reported two deaths after a missile strike hit a residential block, while Lviv’s mayor, Andriy Sadovyi, said three people were killed when debris from intercepted drones fell on a fuel depot.

“The sound of drones lasted for hours,” said Oksana Koval, a resident of Kyiv’s northern suburbs. “We spent the night in the basement with no heat. This is how winter begins for us.”

Ukraine’s Response

The Ukrainian Air Force said it intercepted 51 out of 73 incoming missiles and drones, including several Kalibr cruise missiles launched from the Black Sea and Kh-101 missiles fired from Tu-95 bombers inside Russia.

Military analysts said the strikes fit Moscow’s ongoing strategy to degrade Ukraine’s power grid, mirroring the winter offensive of 2022 that left millions without heating.

Kyiv officials have urged residents to conserve energy as emergency teams repair substations and reroute power to hospitals and shelters.

“Our grid has been hit again, but we will rebuild faster than Russia can destroy,” said Herman Halushchenko, Ukraine’s Energy Minister.

Russia’s Position

The Kremlin claimed the strikes were aimed at “military command centers and logistics hubs”, denying intentional targeting of civilians — a claim Ukraine and Western governments reject.

In Moscow, Defense Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said the attacks were “retaliation for sabotage operations” carried out inside Russian territory earlier this month.

Independent analysts, however, noted that many of the sites struck were far from any military infrastructure, reinforcing evidence that Russia is pursuing a campaign to pressure civilians by crippling essential services.

International Reaction

The attacks drew swift condemnation from Western allies. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the strikes “a deliberate assault on Ukraine’s resilience,” while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU would dispatch 1,000 additional generators and accelerate funding for Ukraine’s energy resilience program.

The UN Human Rights Office warned that the new wave of strikes could constitute war crimes under international law if proven to deliberately target civilian infrastructure.

“Repeated attacks on energy systems during winter are an assault on survival itself,” said Volker Türk, the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The Takeaway

As temperatures plummet, the renewed bombardment marks the start of what could be another brutal winter of energy deprivation for millions of Ukrainians.

For Kyiv, each night brings another test of endurance — and for Moscow, a calculated attempt to freeze a nation into submission.

“They can take our light,” Zelensky said. “But they will never break our resolve.”