Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – A Russian overnight barrage on Ukraine killed six people in and around the capital Kyiv and triggered power cuts across the country, Ukrainian authorities said Wednesday.
The attack comes a day after efforts to settle the nearly four-year war hit another roadblock, after a planned presidential meeting between US leader Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin was cancelled.
"Another night proving that Russia does not feel enough pressure for dragging out the war," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media following the attack.
"As of now, 17 people are known to have been injured. Unfortunately, six people were killed, among them two children," he added.
AFP journalists in Kyiv heard multiple explosions during the night and saw a pillar of smoke rising above the capital.
The strikes also targeted the country's energy infrastructure, leaving thousands without heating and electricity across Ukraine in the cold season, according to the energy ministry.
"Due to a massive missile and drone attack on the energy infrastructure, emergency power outages have been introduced in most regions of Ukraine," it said in a statement.
Russia said it had intercepted 33 Ukrainian drones overnight without reporting any substantial damage.