Russian strikes kill 3, knock out power for 600,000 Ukrainians in latest snub to Trumps energy cease-fire
Russian strikes killed three people in Kyiv and plunged hundreds of thousands into darkness overnight, authorities said on Wednesday, in an attack President Volodymyr Zelensky called “ostentatious disrespect” to President Trump’s peace effort.The hours-long missile and drone attack primarily targeted Kyiv and Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, and damaged 30 energy facilities, Zelensky said.At least 600,000 people were left without power, he added.Trump, who lifted sanctions on Russian diesel last week in a bid to lower politically sensitive fuel prices, has said that both sides agreed to halt strikes on energy infrastructure, though neither Moscow nor Kyiv confirmed it.“The strike was entirely deliberate and demonstrative in its scale — Russia has never before shown such ostentatious disrespect toward the United States,” Zelensky wrote on X.“Russia does not consider the American President’s statements strong.”Russia’s defence ministry said on Wednesday it had struck four power plants in and around Kyiv and two in Kharkiv, among other targets.Ukraine reported downing just four out of 39 missiles, reflecting Kyiv’s weakened air-defences against fast-moving ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones amid a shortage of weapons.Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukrainian cities ahead of winter as it struggles on the battlefield, sparking fears of widespread power and heating outages across the country.Ukraine, for its part, has increasingly been attacking Russian oil refineries and logistics hubs in recent months, in what it views as one of the few ways it can respond to more than four and a half years of Russian bombardment.Wednesday’s Russian attacks also targeted state railway facilities in five regions across Ukraine, said Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi.Trump blames Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries for the rise in fuel costs, especially of diesel, which has hit record pr...