In the early hours of October 10, 2025, the city of Kyiv was jolted awake by the sound of explosions as Russia unleashed one of its most powerful aerial assaults in recent weeks. According to the Associated Press, the barrage of drones and missiles left at least 20 people wounded in the Ukrainian capital, set a high-rise apartment building ablaze, and triggered blackouts across swathes of the country. The attack came as winter’s chill began to settle over Ukraine, a time when energy infrastructure is most vulnerable and the stakes are at their highest.
Rescue teams raced against the clock in Kyiv, pulling more than 20 people from a 17-story apartment block where flames had engulfed the sixth and seventh floors. Five residents were hospitalized, while others received first aid at the scene. The city’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, reported that power outages gripped both sides of Kyiv, divided by the Dnipro River, and disruptions to water supplies were widespread. “Today’s attack knocked out power on both sides of the city,” Klitschko stated, underscoring the scale of the assault.
The human toll extended beyond Kyiv. In the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, a 7-year-old boy was killed when his home was struck by a Russian attack. His parents and other civilians were wounded, and a hydroelectric plant in the area was taken offline as a precaution, as reported by regional officials. These tragedies highlight the persistent danger faced by Ukrainian families, even far from the front lines.
Ukraine’s Air Force described the onslaught as a complex operation involving 465 strike and decoy drones and 32 missiles of various types. Air defenses managed to intercept or jam 405 drones and 15 missiles—a testament to the country’s resilience, but also a stark reminder of the volume and intensity of the attack. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the strikes as “cynical and calculated,” emphasizing that the barrage targeted “everything that sustains normal life.” In his social media address, Zelenskyy called for urgent international support to help Ukraine defend its energy sector and protect civilians as temperatures drop.
Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko echoed the president’s sentiment, describing the assault as “one of the largest concentrated strikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.” The country’s largest private electricity operator, DTEK, reported that repair crews were already at work on multiple damaged thermal plants. The company’s rapid response was crucial, as more than 200,000 consumers in the northeastern Kharkiv region and over 100,000 in the Kyiv region were left without power, according to local officials cited by The Independent.
The attack fits a now-familiar pattern. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, energy infrastructure has become a key battleground. Each winter, Russian forces have sought to cripple Ukraine’s power grid, hoping to erode public morale and force political concessions. The Ukrainian winter, stretching from late October through March, is notoriously harsh, with January and February bringing the coldest weather. Disrupting electricity and heating during this period can have devastating consequences for millions of civilians.
In recent weeks, the targeting of energy facilities has intensified. Ukrainian officials reported that a massive missile and drone attack last week struck several of the country’s main gas production sites, causing significant damage. Sergii Koretskyi, CEO of Ukraine’s state energy company Naftogaz, told the Financial Times that Russia’s goal was “to break our spirit” and sap morale. “This has nothing to do with military needs, none of these assets have any military value at all,” he said.
Yet the war is not one-sided. Ukrainian forces have also stepped up attacks on Russian energy facilities and military infrastructure. President Zelenskyy recently stated that Ukraine’s long-range strikes may have reduced gasoline supplies in Russia by up to 20 percent. He credited new domestically produced missiles—Neptune and Flamingo—for hitting targets deep inside enemy territory. “We believe that they've lost up to 20% of their gasoline supply—directly as a result of our strikes,” Zelenskyy told journalists, as reported by Reuters. The Kremlin, however, insists that Russia’s domestic fuel market remains fully supplied.
The overnight attack on Kyiv was part of a broader escalation. On October 9, just hours before the strikes, a Russian MiG-31 fighter jet crashed in the Lipetsk region near the Ukrainian border. The Russian defense ministry said the crew ejected safely and there was no threat to their lives. The cause of the crash remains unclear.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine deepens. As part of ongoing efforts to reunite families, 23 children were recently rescued from Russian-occupied areas and returned to Ukrainian-controlled territory, according to President Zelenskyy’s chief of staff. The “Bring Kids Back UA” program aims to save children who have been deported to Russia or are trapped in occupied regions. Ukraine claims that more than 19,500 children have been illegally displaced, a figure that could be as high as 35,000, according to research from Yale’s School of Public Health.
The international response has been swift but measured. NATO is set to begin its annual nuclear exercise, “Steadfast Noon,” on October 13, 2025, as tensions in Europe remain high. The alliance’s chief stressed that a key focus of the drill will be protecting nuclear weapons before they are ever used—a clear sign of the heightened security environment across the continent.
Political leaders have weighed in from all sides. President Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for more robust international support, particularly in the form of air defense systems and sanctions enforcement. “Everything the Russians want to destroy—our energy, our way of life—they are targeting,” he said, urging partners not to waver. On the other hand, Russian officials continue to threaten retaliation against any country that supplies advanced weapons to Ukraine. Andrei Kartapolov, head of the Russian parliament’s defense committee, warned that “there will be problems for those who supply and use Tomahawk missiles” if the United States allows them to be delivered to Kyiv.
In the aftermath of the latest attack, energy minister Svitlana Hrynchuk announced that power had been restored to 270,000 customers in Kyiv. “Energy companies have restored power to 270,000 customers in Kyiv,” she wrote on Facebook, marking the third anniversary of Russia’s first large-scale assault on Ukraine’s power grid. “Today, Russia continues to use cold and darkness as instruments of terror.”
As Ukraine braces for another winter at war, the resilience of its people is being tested yet again. The latest barrage underscores the relentless nature of the conflict, the vulnerability of critical infrastructure, and the urgent need for international solidarity. For many Ukrainians, the coming months will be a battle not just for territory, but for warmth, light, and the simple comforts of daily life.
