KYIV, Ukraine: More than 1,000 apartment blocks in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv remain without heating after Russian airstrikes damaged the city’s energy infrastructure during a cold snap, Ukrainian officials said on Sunday.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that heating had been restored to much of the capital, but more than 1,000 buildings were still without heat following large-scale attacks earlier this week.
“More than 1,000 buildings in the capital remain without heating. Heat supply has been restored to the rest of the area,” Klitschko said.
He added that water supply, which had been disrupted in some neighbourhoods, had now been fully restored.
Klitschko said repair work was continuing but warned that the energy situation in the city remained “very difficult”.
He noted that heating and water supply systems depend on electricity, which has also been affected by the strikes.
Infrastructure damage
An overnight Russian strike on Friday killed at least four people and wounded 25 others in Kyiv, according to local authorities.
The attack damaged critical infrastructure, leaving nearly half of the city’s apartment buildings — around 6,000 — without heating at the height of winter.
Following the attack, Klitschko urged residents, if possible, to temporarily leave the city due to the loss of basic services.
Russia confirmed carrying out the strikes, saying they were in response to a Ukrainian drone attack on President Vladimir Putin’s residence in the Belgorod region late last year. Kyiv has denied the claim.
Ukraine said Moscow’s accusations were aimed at undermining diplomatic efforts involving US President Donald Trump’s team.
Russia intercepts Ukrainian drones
Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had struck a Ukrainian defence industry site, energy and transport facilities used by the Ukrainian army, and temporary deployment sites of Ukrainian troops and foreign mercenaries.
In a separate statement, the ministry said Russian air defences shot down seven Ukrainian drones over the Belgorod and Kursk regions within five hours on Sunday.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had deliberately waited for freezing weather to intensify attacks on Ukraine’s energy system.
He said that over the past week Russia had launched nearly 1,100 drones, more than 890 guided aerial bombs and over 50 missiles.
“In many regions, the situation remains difficult after Russian strikes on our critical infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said, thanking emergency workers for restoring essential services.
