Russia resumed massive strikes on Ukraine’s power grid overnight into February 3, 2026, ending a brief pause on attacks against Kyiv during the coldest days of the winter.
A record barrage
Russia launched 450 long-range drones and 70 missiles, including a record 32 ballistic missiles, at Kyiv, Kharkiv region, Odesa region and other areas. At least 10 people were wounded, five of them in Kyiv.
Kyiv in the cold
In Kyiv, 1,170 apartment buildings lost heating, undoing repairs that had restored power to all but 80 buildings. Temperatures fell to -20°C overnight.
“More important than diplomacy”
“Taking advantage of the coldest days of winter to terrorize people is more important to Russia than diplomacy,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, adding that the strike broke a commitment to halt energy attacks. US President Donald Trump had said last week that Vladimir Putin agreed not to fire on Kyiv and other cities for a week.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, visiting Kyiv, called the strikes “a really bad signal” ahead of US-brokered talks between Ukraine and Russia scheduled in Abu Dhabi on February 4 and 5.
Sources
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