Russian forces launched overnight attacks on Ukraine's capital Kyiv, the eastern city of Kharkiv and other urban centres early on Tuesday, officials said, sparking fires and further damaging already strained energy infrastructure. At least four people were injured in the two largest cities, according to local authorities, as air raid alerts stretched on for hours in freezing conditions.
In Kyiv, where temperatures dropped close to -20C, witnesses reported loud explosions after midnight as missiles and drones were deployed. City officials said strikes damaged five districts, hitting apartment blocks and a building housing a kindergarten. Videos shared online showed flames engulfing upper floors of a residential building, while parts of the capital were left without power or heating.
In Kharkiv, the mayor, Ihor Terekhov, said energy infrastructure was the main target of the attacks, warning that drastic steps were needed to prevent heating systems from freezing. He said coolant had to be drained from hundreds of apartment buildings supplied by a single thermal plant, calling the objective "to leave the city without heat in severe cold". Power outages were also reported in towns across the Kharkiv region and in the northern city of Sumy.
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The strikes came as Russia and Ukraine continue to dispute the status of a temporary halt on attacks against energy facilities, introduced at the request of US president Donald Trump. Moscow said the moratorium expired on Sunday, while Kyiv insisted it should run for a full week from January 30. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had avoided direct strikes on major energy targets in the past 24 hours, though shelling near the front line continued...