Russian military forces launched a massive wave of strikes on Tuesday morning targeting the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, the country's second-largest city, Kharkiv, and several other residential areas. According to Operative Information Center-OMM, citing foreign media outlets, the attacks caused significant damage to energy infrastructure, ignited fires in multiple districts, and left at least four people injured.
In Kyiv, where temperatures have plummeted to minus 20 degrees Celsius, the combined missile and drone assaults resulted in destruction across five districts. Timur Tkachenko, head of the city military administration, stated that three residential buildings and a kindergarten were damaged. Due to the intensive attacks persisting since January 1, hundreds of buildings continue to face severe disruptions in heating and electricity supply.
Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov confirmed that energy facilities were the primary targets of the strikes. He noted that emergency measures are being taken to prevent heating systems from freezing during the extreme cold. Reports indicate that water had to be drained from 820 residential buildings powered by a single thermal power plant to prevent the system from failing entirely.
These strikes coincide with the lead-up to the planned trilateral negotiations between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States, scheduled for February 4-5 in Abu Dhabi. Notably, a moratorium on striking energy infrastructure had been under discussion at the request of US President Donald Trump. However, the parties have yet to reach an agreement regarding the duration of such a ceasefire.
While President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted a temporary absence of missile strikes over the previous 24 hours, he emphasized that energy facilities near the front lines remain under regular artillery fire. The upcoming talks in the United Arab Emirates are seen as a critical diplomatic effort by the administration of US President Donald Trump to de-escalate the conflict and establish a framework for a potential cessation of hostilities.
