Russian strikes killed 10 people in Kyiv and Lutsk, and plunged hundreds of thousands into darkness overnight, authorities said yesterday. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the attack “ostentatious disrespect” for Donald Trump’s peace efforts.
The hours-long missile and drone attack primarily targeted Kyiv and Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, and damaged 30 energy facilities, Zelensky said. At least 600,000 people were left without power.
US President Trump, who lifted sanctions on Russian diesel last week in a bid to lower politically sensitive fuel prices, has said that both sides agreed to halt strikes on energy infrastructure, though neither Moscow nor Kyiv confirmed it, reports Reuters.
“The strike was entirely deliberate and demonstrative in its scale – Russia has never before shown such ostentatious disrespect toward the United States,” Zelensky wrote on X. “Russia does not consider the American President’s statements strong.”
Russia’s defence ministry said yesterday it had struck four power plants in and around Kyiv and two in Kharkiv, among other targets.
Ukraine reported downing just four out of 39 missiles, reflecting Kyiv’s weakened air-defences against fast-moving ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones amid a shortage of weapons.
Meanwhile, Russia’s military said it had shot down 902 Ukrainian drones overnight, 180 of them near the capital Moscow.
Ukraine also said that Elon Musk’s SpaceX had abruptly disrupted the operation of military-grade Starlink terminals moving at high speed, effectively preventing Kyiv from using them to guide drones in flight.
The apparent suggestion that Musk’s company might limit Ukrainian military capabilities drew a sharp response from Poland, which pays for Ukrainian Starlink subscriptions on Kyiv’s behalf.