Russia struck Kharkiv's power plant shortly after Trump announced 'energy ceasefire'

On October 11, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Russia had struck Kharkiv's CHP-5 power plant shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump announced an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Zelensky made the announcement around 8 p.m. local time, noting that the attack targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

Following the power plant strike, a Russian missile hit a grocery store in Kharkiv's suburbs, resulting in three deaths and nine injuries, including two children, according to Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov.

Ukraine expressed uncertainty about the energy ceasefire announced by Trump, as a senior Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent. In a post on Truth Social, Trump announced the ceasefire, stating, "Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed." Zelensky told Axios that if President Trump negotiated the ceasefire with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he would like to know when it would commence. Zelensky expressed readiness to accept the ceasefire and stressed Ukraine's acceptance of it.

During the past week, Russia had carried out more than 200 strikes on Ukraine's electricity generation and transmission facilities, along with 17 strikes on gas and oil facilities, Zelensky reported. These attacks resulted in over 150 deaths and more than 700 injuries, according to Zelensky. Trump's announcement of the energy ceasefire occurred less than an hour after Zelensky's interview with ABC News, where he mentioned that a two-month ceasefire arranged by Trump and Putin would enable Ukraine to prepare for a new presidential election.

Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022, which prohibits elections during martial law.