Russian overnight drone and ballistic missile attacks have damaged Ukrainian energy infrastructure across 12 regions, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, causing widespread blackouts and disrupting water and heating supplies.
The wave of attacks involved more than 30 ballistic missiles and over 170 drones. Nine people were reported injured across the country, including one child.
Kyiv was hit hardest. "The situation in the capital is difficult, with disruptions to electricity, water, and heating supplies. Residential buildings, the North Bridge, and a kindergarten have been damaged," Zelensky said.
He added that strikes targeted substations in the Kyiv region that connect the Rivne and Khmelnytsky nuclear power plants to the capital and central Ukraine.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko later said the city's water supply had returned to normal operation and that around 60 percent of the city's apartment buildings were reconnected to the heating system.
Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said power cuts affected five regions, without specifying how many homes were left without electricity.
Beyond Kyiv, Zelensky said substations were also damaged in the Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Rivne, Kharkiv, and Dnipro regions.
Writing on Telegram, Zelensky said Moscow was preparing for upcoming peace talks by launching attacks on Ukraine's "critical infrastructure." Ukrainian and Russian delegations are due to take part in trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi next week.
The strikes came days after US First Lady Melania Trump hosted Russian and Ukrainian delegations at the White House. She called for a "more enduring" ceasefire in Ukraine, following a truce last week in the southern region of Kherson.
Hundreds of residents from the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky, facing starvation and constant bombardment, were able to evacuate during a six-day ceasefire that both Moscow and Kyiv credited Trump with brokering.
"The lives of innocent people must transcend the division of war. I hope Oleshky inspires greater peace," Melania Trump said.
Earlier this week, glide bomb strikes on an aid centre near Zaporizhzhia killed a number of people. The death toll has since risen to 55 as search teams continue working through the ruins.
In his Telegram post following Saturday's attacks, Zelensky said Ukraine was counting on increased support from the United States.
"We are counting on unity between both parties on issues of security, support for Ukraine, condemnation of Russian aggression, and increased sanctions pressure on Putin," he wrote. "The resolve and consistency of the United States in supporting Ukraine are of great importance in bringing peace closer."
Temperatures are falling across Ukraine, with parts of the country already seeing the first winter snowfall.
