What we know about Russia's overnight strikes on Ukraine

Three days after Washington announced an energy ceasefire, Russia unleashed a barrage of 39 ballistic missiles and over 120 drones at Ukraine's power grid. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed the assault began overnight on October 14th, with one massive combined strike starting at 6 PM on October 13th. This marked the second time in two days Russia launched missiles without a warning from allies.

The majority of the missiles targeted Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, and Kharkiv Oblast, while the drones primarily aimed at the same regions. Ukrainian air defenses managed to neutralize four missiles and suppress 115 drones, but the attacks still struck 22 locations across the country.

Kyiv bore the brunt of the first wave, with key power plant CHP-4 among the targets. Zelenskyy confirmed that the plant suffered hits, though exact casualties were not disclosed. Another high-rise in Desnianskyi district was also hit, resulting in 16 rescued residents and three fatalities. Thirty-five individuals sustained injuries, including a seven or eight-year-old girl.

On October 14th, a second wave of strikes hit various Kyiv energy facilities, killing one person and causing widespread power outages. At least 600,000 people lost electricity, with the outage count potentially rising. Zelenskyy accused Russia of deliberately targeting the power system, emphasizing that it had never before demonstrated such disrespect towards the United States. He appealed to President Donald Trump for strong sanctions under the Lindsey Graham sanctions law and requested additional Patriot interceptors.