Major Russian attack on Ukraine kills one, injures at least 12

A major Russian attack on central Kyiv triggered a fire in a high-rise apartment building and targeted energy sites early on Friday, cutting power to parts of the capital, officials said.

In the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, drones and missiles damaged 12 apartment buildings, killing a seven-year-old boy and injuring four people, the regional governor said.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said 12 people had been injured, with eight of them taken to hospital. He said power cuts and disruptions to the water supply had hit districts on the east bank of the Dnipro River that runs through the city.

Pictures posted online showed apartments ablaze as firefighters moved into position. Fragments from downed drones also struck several parts of the city.

Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk said Russian forces had hit energy sites.

“Energy experts are taking all necessary measures to minimize negative consequences,” Grynchuk said on Facebook.

“As soon as safety conditions allow, energy experts will begin clarifying the consequences of the attack and conducting restoration work.”

Around 28,000 families remained without power as of Friday morning in Kyiv region, Governor Mykola Kalashnyk said. Critical and social infrastructure facilities relied on generators for power, he added.

The attack also damaged energy infrastructure in the central region of Poltava where around 17,000 consumers remained without power.

Russian forces have pummeled Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in recent weeks as winter again approaches in the more than three-and-a-half-year-old war.

A massive missile and drone attack last week hit several of Ukraine’s main gas production facilities, causing considerable damage.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said both drones and missiles had been deployed in the post-midnight assault on the capital.

This attack disrupted Kyiv subway system operations and prompted local authorities to introduce remote work in some schools and kindergartens.

Tkachenko said firefighters had brought a blaze triggered by a drone under control. The blaze had set apartments on fire on the 6th and 7th floors of a high-rise block in the central Pecherskyi district.