Ukraine says thousands of Kyiv buildings left without heating following overnight Russian strikes

Ukraine said on Tuesday that overnight Russian airstrikes on the capital Kyiv left thousands without access to heating as the country continues to battle a state of emergency in the energy sector declared last week.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that the overnight attack on the capital resulted in 5,635 high-rise buildings losing access to heating, while also injuring one person in the Dniprovskyi district.

"Almost 80% of them are buildings where the heat supply had been restored since Jan. 9," Klitschko said, noting that the left bank of the city remains without water supply as a result of the attack.

Klitschko said energy and utility workers are conducting efforts to restore heating, water and electricity to residents, adding that 16 out of 6,000 buildings that lost access to heating after a Jan. 9 attack were still without heating as of Monday evening.

In the Kyiv region, Governor Mykola Kalashnyk said that one person was killed in the Bucha district.

In a statement on US social media company X, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that other regions of the country, including Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, and Sumy, were also affected by overnight attacks.

"The day before this strike, we finally received the necessary missiles, which helped significantly. Every support package matters. Missiles for Patriots, NASAMS, and other air defense systems are critically needed," Zelenskyy said.

"The direct task of our entire diplomatic system is to ensure that Ukraine has sufficient air defense capabilities. And partners must not fail to deliver on this-air defense missiles are real protection for human life," he added. Zelenskyy also ordered accelerated electricity imports.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha separately wrote on X that he spoke with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas about the attacks, informing her of the "critical humanitarian situation in Kyiv," as well as shared Ukraine's urgent needs.

Citing its Director General Rafael Grossi, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on X that the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant lost all off-site power following "widespread military activity this morning."

He said power lines to other nuclear power plants in Ukraine were also impacted, and that the IAEA is "actively following developments in order to assess impact on nuclear safety."

Ukraine's Air Force also claimed that air defenses shot down 315 out of 339 drones, as well as 27 out of 33 missiles, launched by Russia overnight.

The Russian Defense Ministry said it launched "massive" overnight strikes on "Ukrainian military industrial enterprises, energy and transport infrastructure facilities used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, ammunition depots, and long-range drone production facilities."

Ukraine declared a state of emergency last week due to extreme weather conditions and Russian strikes, notably on Jan. 9, when much of Kyiv was left without power.

Klitschko said half of the capital's apartment buildings, nearly 6,000, lost access to heating, as he appealed to residents to temporarily leave the city.

Russia said the Jan. 9 attack was carried out in response to an attempted drone strike by Ukraine on President Vladimir Putin's residence in the Novgorod region late last year. Kyiv had immediately denied the claims, arguing the accusations seek to undermine diplomatic efforts to end the war.