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 — 1000’s 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.
“Every such Russian strike on our energy infrastructure shows that there must be no delays in supplying air defense,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media. “We are counting on the reaction and assistance of all our allies.”
The strikes killed a minimum of one individual and injured 4 others, stated 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 conflict on Ukraine.
Zelenskyy stated in a submit on social media that the talks have been “constructive” and that army representatives introduced up points to debate.
“Provided there is readiness to move forward — and Ukraine is ready — further meetings will take place, potentially as early as next week,” he wrote.
Regardless of the talks, Russia has continued to strike Ukraine’s vitality grid, inflicting extreme harm throughout the coldest winter for the reason that full-scale invasion almost 4 years in the past. Temperatures in Kyiv have usually dipped under -10C (14F).
NPR’s bureau heard a number of assault drones flying over Kyiv early Saturday morning, together with air protection items attempting to shoot them down. Explosions continued for a number of hours.
Writing on social media, Klitschko stated 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 1000’s of condo buildings, some as excessive as 25 tales.
Oleksandr Kharchenko, director of the Power Business Analysis Heart in Kyiv, says this technique pumps scorching water via pipes to warmth them and contains crops that generate each warmth and electrical energy. He stated Russian strikes have broken these crops and pumps, inflicting water to freeze and burst pipes.
“The target was to kill the city … to freeze the city,” Kharchenko instructed NPR, referring to the Russian assaults. “And to push (people) out of the city.”
Power and utility staff have been repairing harm to the town’s vitality grid across the clock for weeks.
“To rebuild a new one during the war time is impossible,” Klitschko, the Kyiv mayor, instructed NPR on Thursday. “We need a lot of money and time for that.”
He stated Kyiv has been getting ready to decentralize the grid however that effort will take time. “To defend from a Russian attack,” he stated, “what we need is air defense.”
Russia additionally struck Ukraine’s second-largest metropolis, Kharkiv, within the in a single day assaults early Saturday. Native authorities stated greater than two dozen folks have been injured.
