Watch: Block of flats destroyed in Russian strikes on Ukraine

Overnight Russian missile and drone strikes hit several parts of Ukraine. In the outskirts of Kyiv, a residential building was struck and destroyed. A key energy facility was also hit. The attacks damaged critical infrastructure and caused casualties in the capital.

The Kyiv region and the north-eastern city of Kharkiv were among the areas affected. Ukraine’s state emergencies service, DSNS, reported that at least three people were killed and 21 injured in Kyiv. Russia’s defence ministry said its strikes targeted communications and energy facilities used by Ukraine’s military.

The damage had effects far beyond the sites directly attacked. At least 600,000 people across Ukraine were without electricity after the strikes. The attacks also came shortly after Donald Trump said an “energy ceasefire” was in place between Russia and Ukraine, creating a clear contrast between the announcement and events on the ground.

Critical infrastructure is the network of essential services that keeps society functioning. It can include energy facilities, communications systems, transport links, water supplies, and emergency services. If these systems fail, daily life and government operations can be disrupted quickly.

Energy facilities are critical because electricity powers homes, hospitals, factories, communications equipment, and water systems. During a war, it also supports military communications and other defence-related activity. The article says Russia claimed it targeted communications and energy facilities used by Ukraine’s military.

The strikes show why energy infrastructure matters beyond the buildings themselves. Damage to a key facility can remove electricity from many communities and interrupt other services that depend on it. In this case, attacks in the Kyiv region and Kharkiv left at least 600,000 people across Ukraine without power, while also causing deaths and injuries in Kyiv.

The reported human toll in Kyiv was at least three people killed and 21 injured. Ukraine’s state emergencies service, DSNS, provided those figures after the overnight Russian missile and drone strikes. The casualties were linked to the attack that hit the capital’s outskirts and other infrastructure.

The electricity disruption was much larger in scale. At least 600,000 people across Ukraine were without power after strikes hit critical infrastructure in the Kyiv region and the north-eastern city of Kharkiv. This means the consequences spread well beyond the immediate locations of the explosions.

The figures show two different effects of the attack. Direct strikes caused deaths and injuries in Kyiv, while damage to energy facilities disrupted electricity for hundreds of thousands. Russia’s defence ministry described the strikes as “massive” and said they targeted communications and energy facilities used by Ukraine’s military.

An energy ceasefire is an arrangement in which opposing sides agree not to attack energy facilities or related power infrastructure. Its purpose is to protect electricity supplies and reduce harm to civilians, even while a wider war continues. The article does not give detailed terms for the reported arrangement.

Donald Trump said on Sunday that an “energy ceasefire” was in place between Russia and Ukraine. Soon afterward, overnight Russian missile and drone strikes hit a key energy facility and other critical infrastructure. The reported targets were in the Kyiv region and Kharkiv, and the damage caused widespread power loss.

That timing made the strikes appear to conflict with the announced ceasefire. Russia’s defence ministry said the attacks targeted communications and energy facilities used by Ukraine’s military. The article does not state whether the two sides formally agreed to different definitions or whether the ceasefire had failed, so the exact status of the arrangement remains unclear from this report.

Electricity systems are connected networks, not collections of isolated buildings. Power generated in one place can travel through transmission lines to distant cities, while substations route it onward to local users. A key facility may therefore serve a large area, even if only one site is directly hit.

When a power station, substation, or major transmission line is damaged, electricity may no longer reach the normal routes. Other equipment can sometimes carry more of the load, but it may have limited capacity. Operators may also switch off sections deliberately to prevent wider damage or keep the remaining network stable.

The article reports that strikes on critical infrastructure in the Kyiv region and Kharkiv left at least 600,000 people without electricity across Ukraine. This shows how local physical damage can produce a national-scale disruption. Repairs, rerouting, and emergency generation can restore supply, but the article does not say how quickly that happened.

When major power equipment is damaged, grid operators can reroute electricity through surviving lines and substations. They can also balance supply by reducing demand, rotating outages, or prioritising hospitals and other essential services. These actions help preserve stability while repairs begin.

Backup generators and smaller local power sources can support hospitals, communications sites, water systems, and emergency centres. Electricity may also come from undamaged power stations in other regions or through cross-border connections. Repair crews can replace damaged equipment, reconnect lines, and restore substations in stages.

These alternatives are useful but limited. Generators usually provide less power than a major station, fuel supplies can be difficult to maintain, and surviving transmission routes may become overloaded. The article reports that at least 600,000 people were without electricity, but it does not describe which backup measures Ukraine used or how much power they supplied.

An electrical grid begins at generating stations, where energy is converted into electricity. Transformers raise its voltage so it can travel efficiently through long-distance transmission lines. Substations then reduce the voltage, and distribution networks carry power to homes, businesses, hospitals, and other users.

The system works as a connected chain. If a generating station stops, less electricity enters the grid. If a transmission line or substation is hit, power may be unable to reach an entire region even when generation continues elsewhere. Operators must balance supply and demand, or parts of the network can be switched off.

Missiles and drones can strike large, visible facilities and important communications equipment. Damage can therefore interrupt both electricity flows and the systems used to manage them. In the article, strikes on energy infrastructure in the Kyiv region and Kharkiv left at least 600,000 people without electricity, while Russia said the targets supported Ukraine’s military.