Russia and Ukraine exchanged large-scale attacks in the early hours of Friday, with Moscow launching a massive air assault on multiple Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, while Ukrainian forces struck Russia’s Belgorod region, causing widespread power outages.
Ukrainian authorities say a Russian attack on Kyiv killed at least four people and injured 16 others. Among the dead was a rescue worker, while five additional emergency responders were wounded while carrying out their duties.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the overnight assault involved 242 drones, 13 ballistic missiles, and 22 submarine-launched cruise missiles, targeting civilian areas and critical energy infrastructure. He confirmed that Russia used the Oreshnik hypersonic missile system as part of the strike.
“The attack damaged civilian and energy infrastructure,” Zelensky said, adding that at least 20 residential buildings were hit in the capital. The building of the Embassy of Qatar in Kyiv was also damaged by a Russian drone.
Beyond Kyiv, Russian forces struck several other regions. In Lviv, near the Polish border, an unidentified ballistic missile damaged gas infrastructure, leaving 376 consumers without gas. In Kryvyi Rih, Zelensky’s hometown, one person was killed and 24 others were injured, including six children, while more than 4,000 residents lost electricity.
Additional attacks were reported in Zaporizhia, Odesa, and Dnipro, where strikes targeted power supply facilities and other critical infrastructure. In total, Ukrainian officials estimate that around 700,000 households across the country were left without electricity as a result of the attacks.
Zelensky called for a “clear and decisive response” from the international community, stressing that the scale and nature of the assault once again demonstrated Russia’s intent to target civilian life and essential services.
Meanwhile, Ukraine also carried out an attack on Russia’s Belgorod region. Russian authorities reported that strikes on energy infrastructure left more than 500,000 people without electricity, highlighting the growing intensity of cross-border attacks.
The latest escalation comes as Ukraine grapples with a severe cold snap, with temperatures dropping to minus 20 degrees Celsius in some regions. The freezing conditions have exacerbated the country’s energy crisis, forcing the Kyiv government to implement emergency support measures for the most affected areas as power and heating disruptions continue.
The overnight attacks underscore the increasingly destructive nature of the conflict, with both sides targeting energy systems at a time when winter conditions pose an additional threat to civilian populations.
Image: Residential building heavily damaged following a Russian drone and missile attack in Kiev on 9 January 2026.
