Russian strikes leave 600,000 Ukrainians without power days after Trump's "energy ceasefire" announcement

Key takeaways

• Russia launched 39 ballistic and cruise missiles and 128 drones at Ukraine overnight into Wednesday, Ukraine's air force said; it shot down 4 missiles and 115 drones.
• President Volodymyr Zelensky said at least 600,000 people were left without electricity, with damage at 26 power-system sites and four oil and gas facilities.
• In Kyiv at least three people were killed and 21 injured, according to Ukraine's emergency service.
• Russia's defence ministry said it targeted energy and communications sites used by Ukraine's military, and claimed 902 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Russia.
• The strikes came three days after US President Donald Trump announced an "energy ceasefire" that Moscow has never clearly confirmed.

What happened overnight

The main targets were energy facilities in Kyiv, the surrounding Kyiv region and the north-eastern city of Kharkiv. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported strikes on several energy sites in the capital, RFE/RL said. A residential building in Kyiv was also hit.

What Ukraine says

On his official X account, Zelensky called it a targeted ballistic strike on the very energy infrastructure that the ceasefire was meant to protect. He said the attack was "entirely deliberate" and showed disrespect toward the United States. He asked Washington for strong sanctions on Russia and more Patriot interceptor missiles, and warned outages could spread further.

Zelensky also said that, for the second time this week, Ukraine got no advance warning from partners about Russian ballistic missile launches, CNBC and RFE/RL reported. Separately, a Zelensky adviser on defence technology, Serhii Beskrestnov, accused SpaceX of quietly limiting Starlink speed for terminals in motion, saying it disrupted some military missions. SpaceX's response was not included in the reports we reviewed.

What Russia says

Russia's defence ministry described the strikes as "massive" and said they hit energy and communications facilities used by Ukraine's armed forces. On the ceasefire, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Ukraine did not deserve the "respite" a truce would bring and argued Europe would use any pause to re-arm Kyiv, the BBC reported. Russian officials have said talks are continuing but have not confirmed an agreement.

Background: the "energy ceasefire"

On Sunday, Trump posted that an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine was in effect "immediately". Both sides initially said they knew of no such deal. Ukraine has since said it is ready to stop hitting Russian refineries and energy sites if Russia does the same. Zelensky had already accused Russia of hitting six energy sites within hours of the announcement.

The strikes also follow Trump's announcement of a deal allowing Russian diesel exports after a call with Vladimir Putin, which has drawn criticism from European allies and US lawmakers of both parties, RFE/RL noted.

What to watch

• How quickly Ukraine's grid operator restores power, and whether rolling blackouts spread to more regions as winter approaches.
• Any response from the White House to the strikes and to Ukraine's call for sanctions.
• Whether Moscow formally accepts or rejects the energy ceasefire.