Russia bombs Ukrainian energy grid for third straight night
600,000 without power as Trump insists energy ceasefire holds, Kyiv spares Russian refineries while Washington imports Russian diesel
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Russian forces struck six Ukrainian power plants overnight into Wednesday, Moscow's defence ministry said, including all three of Kyiv's combined heat-and-power plants, according to Ukraine's prime minister. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the third consecutive night of bombardment — 39 ballistic missiles and more than 120 drones aimed at energy and critical infrastructure — left at least 600,000 people without power in Kyiv, the surrounding region and Kharkiv.
Donald Trump has claimed that Russia and Ukraine agreed not to strike energy infrastructure. Zelenskyy's description of the night was shorter: "Russia has squandered the opportunity for de-escalation and has clearly chosen to continue its insane war of annihilation."
Ukraine, for its part, has agreed to halt its monthslong campaign against Russian oil refineries, which caused fuel shortages inside Russia; its last reported hit was on Friday. The United States, meanwhile, has struck a deal with Vladimir Putin to import 300,000 tons of Russian diesel — an arrangement Ukrainian officials say will help finance the invasion it is meant to end.
The instruments Kyiv uses to answer the barrage are owned by others. An adviser to Zelenskyy said SpaceX imposed speed limits overnight on Starlink terminals mounted on Ukrainian drones, without warning, and that the timing "cannot be a coincidence"; the European Commission said it had "no indications" that US intelligence sharing had stopped. Ukrainian officials fear both are in jeopardy. Zelenskyy arrived in London on Wednesday for talks with Prime Minister Andy Burnham and may continue to Brussels, asking America and "EVERYONE in the world who does not turn a blind eye to reality to respond — and to respond forcefully."
On the ground, Brigadier General Andrii Biletskyi, commander of Ukraine's Third Army Corps, said Ukrainian forces have taken back 277 square kilometres in an operation that began in the summer. The claim could not be independently verified, and Russian officials did not comment.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the details of the energy ceasefire were still being decided. The work in that direction, he said, is continuing.