Folks take shelter in a subway station throughout Russia’s night time missile and drone assault in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.
Danylo Antoniuk/AP
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Danylo Antoniuk/AP
KYIV — Hundreds of condo buildings within the Ukrainian capital Kyiv stay with out heating, electrical energy and water as soon as once more, after Russia launched a whole lot of drones and missiles at Ukraine’s two largest cities early Saturday morning.
“Each such Russian strike on our vitality infrastructure exhibits that there should be no delays in supplying air protection,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media. “We’re relying on the response and help of all our allies.”
The strikes killed a minimum of one individual and injured 4 others, mentioned Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. The assault got here as envoys from Ukraine, Russia and the U.S. held tripartite talks within the United Arab Emirates on ending Russia’s lengthy warfare on Ukraine.
Zelenskyy mentioned in a submit on social media that the talks had been “constructive” and that army representatives introduced up points to debate.
“Supplied there’s readiness to maneuver ahead — and Ukraine is prepared — additional conferences will happen, doubtlessly as early as subsequent week,” he wrote.
Regardless of the talks, Russia has continued to strike Ukraine’s vitality grid, inflicting extreme harm through the coldest winter because the full-scale invasion almost 4 years in the past. Temperatures in Kyiv have usually dipped beneath -10C (14F).
NPR’s bureau heard a number of assault drones flying over Kyiv early Saturday morning, together with air protection models making an attempt to shoot them down. Explosions continued for a number of hours.
Writing on social media, Klitschko mentioned that half of Kyiv’s condo buildings had been left with out heating after the strikes. Many residents had solely lately regained warmth after earlier assaults on Jan. 9 and Jan. 20 left them within the chilly.
Kyiv depends on a large centralized district heating system that provides warmth to hundreds of condo buildings, some as excessive as 25 tales.
Oleksandr Kharchenko, director of the Power Business Analysis Heart in Kyiv, says this method pumps scorching water by way of pipes to warmth them and consists of vegetation that generate each warmth and electrical energy. He mentioned Russian strikes have broken these vegetation and pumps, inflicting water to freeze and burst pipes.
“The goal was to kill the town … to freeze the town,” Kharchenko instructed NPR, referring to the Russian assaults. “And to push (folks) out of the town.”
Power and utility employees have been repairing harm to the town’s vitality grid across the clock for weeks.
“To rebuild a brand new one through the warfare time is unimaginable,” Klitschko, the Kyiv mayor, instructed NPR on Thursday. “We’d like some huge cash and time for that.”
He mentioned Kyiv has been making ready to decentralize the grid however that effort will take time. “To defend from a Russian assault,” he mentioned, “what we want is air protection.”
Russia additionally struck Ukraine’s second-largest metropolis, Kharkiv, within the in a single day assaults early Saturday. Native authorities mentioned greater than two dozen folks had been injured.
