At least two people were killed and 12 injured after Russian jet-powered drones struck petrol stations in Kyiv on Friday morning, according to the city's mayor, Vitali Klitschko.

The rush-hour attacks hit two separate stations, following a similar strike on a Kyiv petrol station the day before — described as the first of its kind in the capital.

All three targeted stations are operated by Ukrnafta, a state-owned oil and natural gas extraction company.

At the Ukrnafta station in the Pochaina neighbourhood in northern Kyiv, witnesses said three people were injured in Friday's blast — the manager of a nearby car wash, his wife, and the driver of a passing car. A blown-out vehicle was left stranded by the roadside, its windows shattered and seats spattered in blood.

Witnesses reported hearing two explosions. Local authorities later confirmed that Russia had carried out a double-tap attack on the facility.

"This is probably one of the most difficult periods of the war because life is just like on a rollercoaster," said Anastasiia Demchenko, 30, who works at a delivery company opposite the station. "It feels like life is on the edge."

The second station struck on Friday was in the Desnianskyi district, one of the most densely populated parts of the capital. The manager of a nearby car wash said it had been a miracle that no one died in that blast.

Fedir Lesovin said the air-raid siren had given petrol station workers enough time to reach a nearby shelter, and that a customer waiting outside his business spotted the incoming drone and also ran to safety.

A list of 18 Kyiv petrol stations reportedly expected to be targeted by Russian drones began circulating on Telegram on Wednesday. The three stations struck so far were all on that list.

Sergiy Fedorenko, the acting head of Naftogaz, Ukrnafta's parent company, condemned the strikes. "There is, and can be, no military objective behind such attacks. This is terror directed at the civilian population, at peaceful people," he said.

Russia has increased its attacks on Ukrainian petrol stations in recent months. Facilities in the east and south of the country have been repeatedly targeted, but this week's strikes mark the first time such attacks have been brought to the capital.

Ukraine has also struck Russian energy infrastructure. Its special forces said this week that they had targeted facilities at the Caspian Sea port of Makhachkala.

Kyiv has faced daily drone and missile strikes since late August, at a time when Ukraine is reported to be running low on Patriot interceptors. A brief pause in attacks during a visit by US envoys over the weekend ended on Monday.

The petrol station strikes occurred while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was abroad seeking international support and aid ahead of what is expected to be a difficult winter. On Thursday, Zelenskyy met Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who offered support to help boost Ukraine's drone stocks.