ReutersA large Russian aerial strike on Ukraine has again left half of Kyiv’s residential buildings without heating or power as temperatures across the country continue to hover around -10C.
Drones, ballistic and cruise missiles targeted several locations in Ukraine, including Kyiv, Dnipro in the centre and Odesa in the south.
Air raid alerts in the capital lasted for most of the night. On Tuesday, sirens rang out again as Russian drones and cruise missiles approached the capital.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said a “significant number” of targets had been intercepted. But he also said that, in terms of air defence missile prices alone, repelling that attack had cost Ukraine about €80m (£69m).
Between Monday and Tuesday, at least four people died and 33 others were injured in strikes across Ukraine.
On Tuesday morning, more than 5,600 residential buildings – each with dozens of flats – in Kyiv woke up to no heating. A large part of the capital also has no water.
Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said almost 80% of those buildings had just had their heating restored following the large-scale attack on 9 January, which knocked out power for much of the city. Since then, relentless efforts by technicians had managed to reinstate electricity and gas for thousands – only for that work to be undone overnight.
“I have no electricity and no water,” Oleksandr Palii, a 29-year-old veteran, told the BBC. “I didn’t sleep until 3am because of the strikes either – there were explosions all night.”
The Ukrainian president had been due to travel to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday but, in the wake of the overnight strikes, he said he had decided to stay in Kyiv.
He would travel to Davos only if documents on security guarantees with the United States and a prosperity plan were ready to be signed, he added.
Temperatures have stayed well below freezing since the start of the year.
Ukrainian media has reported instances of radiators bursting due to the water in them freezing, leading to flooding in entire buildings. There have also been reports of fires starting due to people using gas heaters indoor.
As the power cuts continue, Kyiv residents are finding innovative solutions to carry on living. Many now use portable stoves to cook, and entire buildings chip in to buy generators. But much depends on individual financial capacities.
“I think people who are less well-off are coping much worse,” says Olha Zasiadvovk, who has a young child. She and other parents have bought lamps and thermal containers for their children’s kindergarten “so that when the kitchen has no electricity they can cook all the meals at once and store them.”
But if electricity is only available sporadically, she says, “the food doesn’t keep very well. There were cases when food was cooked in the morning and by dinner the porridge had become completely solid.”
In recent days, videos have circulated on social media showing Ukrainians barbecuing in snowy yards and dancing to keep warm in the face of continued power cuts and freezing temperatures. But many say this is the worst winter since the start of the full-scale war in 2022, and with no end to hostilities in sight, nerves are frayed.
Reuters“The resilience of the Ukrainian people cannot be an excuse for this war to continue. It must end as soon as possible,” said Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Tuesday.
The Kyiv city administration said more than 10,000 people, including nearly 800 children, took refuge in the city’s metro stations on Monday night.
Many of the high-rise buildings that are often hit by drones do not have shelters, so the deep metro system is still the only place people can seek safety as the thudding sounds of air defence systems ring overhead.
President Zelensky said Ukraine had received missiles to repel the overnight attack on Monday, and added they had helped significantly.
But he also emphasised the need for air defence systems was still critical. In a call with reporters, he said Russia was using “far more” ballistic missiles in its attacks and that Moscow’s capacity to produce them had not been dented.
“So far, this has not happened. That is why we need more missiles and more air defence systems,” he said.
A flurry of diplomatic activity in late 2025 gave rise to hope that progress was being made towards a peace deal with Russia.
But on Tuesday Zelensky hinted at concerns that growing tensions between the US and Europe could be detrimental to Ukraine’s ability to defend itself. As it stands, Kyiv’s European partners are buying missiles from the US on Ukraine’s behalf.
“When it comes to [protection from] ballistic missiles, for now the key is in the hands of the United States of the America,” he said.
“It is very important that deliveries are timely, that production works, and that partners help us purchase the necessary missiles,” Zelensky stressed. “In other words, a great deal in the security of Ukrainians depends on the unity of Europe and America.”
Additional reporting by Liubov Sholudko.
