Russia’s Night Barrage Hits Kyiv Power Plant, Kills 3 and Cuts Power Across Capital
Russian forces launched 39 ballistic missiles and more than 120 drones at Kyiv, its region and Kharkiv overnight, killing at least three people in the capital and knocking out power after strikes on a major heat and power plant and other energy sites.
Russian missiles and drones left parts of Kyiv in the dark on 14 October after a concentrated overnight assault on energy facilities and civilian areas.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched 39 ballistic missiles and more than 120 attack drones and loitering munitions, focusing on “our energy and critical infrastructure” in Kyiv, the wider Kyiv region and Kharkiv. He argued that Russia “does not consider the statements of the U.S. President to be strong” and appealed to America and “everyone in the world who does not turn a blind eye to reality” to “respond, and to respond firmly.”
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported at least three civilians killed in Kyiv and more than 20 injured. In the Desnianskyi district, a high‑rise residential building was hit. Twenty‑one people were injured there, including a child. Firefighters rescued 16 residents and put out a fire covering about 400 square meters. Another person was killed and one injured when a non‑residential building in the Holosiivskyi district was struck. Rescue work continued into the morning.
Multiple Iskander‑M ballistic missile impacts were recorded at the CHP‑4 Combined Heat and Power Plant in Kyiv. A large fire broke out at the facility, and footage from the eastern suburbs captured the moment the lights went out after the strikes. Authorities reported widespread power outages across eastern Kyiv following the attack on CHP‑4.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said several energy sites in the city were hit and that power disruptions began after the night‑time ballistic strikes. Local energy officials reported emergency shutoffs in several districts of the capital as repair crews moved in.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said its forces struck communications and energy infrastructure facilities in Kyiv, the Kyiv region and the Kharkiv region, describing the targets as used in the interests of the military‑industrial complex and the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The overnight attacks stretched well beyond the capital. Ukrainian sources reported that Russian Geran‑4 and Geran‑5 jet‑powered drones hit western and central regions. In Vinnytsia Oblast, satellite fire‑detection data indicated a large blaze at a locomotive depot in the city of Zhmerynka after drone strikes. In Lutsk in Volyn Oblast, a major fire broke out in the northern part of the city following Russian Geran‑4/5 strikes; the city council said a fuel depot was hit.
Ukraine’s rail operator reported that Russian forces struck railway infrastructure in five regions: Kharkiv, Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi and Ternopil. Targets included locomotive and wagon depots, repair facilities, stations and rail junctions. Officials described the material damage as substantial and said work was under way to deal with the consequences.
Logistics hubs also came under attack. A distribution warehouse belonging to the Epicentr shopping‑centre chain in Khmelnytskyi City was struck by around 10 Russian Geran‑4/5 jet‑drones, causing a large fire. Video from the scene captured sounds similar to gunfire or small explosions after the strike, though it was unclear whether this was secondary detonations or nearby air‑defence fire. The company later said that Russian forces had hit Epicentr’s distribution centre in Khmelnytskyi 10 times on 13 October and that about 85% of the goods stored there were destroyed.
Ukrainian authorities said Russian Geran‑4/5 drones were attacking targets across western Ukraine for hours, with explosions heard in or near Rivne, Starokostyantyniv and Krasyliv, as well as Boyarka in Kyiv Oblast.
The pattern of strikes—against a combined heat and power plant, other energy facilities, railway depots, fuel storage and a large commercial warehouse—points to a campaign aimed at weakening both Ukraine’s electricity grid and its ability to move people, military equipment and goods.
Key developments to watch now are how quickly power can be restored in the affected districts of Kyiv, whether Russia maintains this level of ballistic and drone attacks on energy infrastructure, and whether Ukraine’s partners step up air‑defence support in response to the scale of overnight strikes.
Sources
- OSINT