Russia unleashes largest 2026 airstrike on Ukraine's energy grid

Tuesday 03 February 2026 - 15:50

By: Dakir Madiha

Russia unleashes largest 2026 airstrike on Ukraine's energy grid

Russia launched its biggest aerial assault of 2026 against Ukraine overnight from Monday to Tuesday, deploying around 450 drones and 71 missiles. The barrage targeted energy infrastructure and residential areas across at least six regions, cutting heating to over 1,100 buildings in Kyiv amid temperatures dropping to -25°C. This attack came just one day before scheduled peace talks in Abu Dhabi and ended a short U.S.-backed truce on strikes against power facilities.

Devastating strikes in freezing cold

Ukraine's air force reported intercepting 38 missiles and 412 drones from the Russian barrage. Hits concentrated on Sumy, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, and Vinnytsia regions, with energy sites bearing the brunt. At least 10 people suffered injuries.

President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on social media that Russia prioritizes terrorizing civilians in the coldest days over diplomacy. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko noted 1,170 residential buildings lost heating, undoing recent power restoration efforts. Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal called the strikes a "winter genocide attempt," as Russia deliberately hit plants providing heat in harsh conditions.

DTEK, Ukraine's largest private electricity firm, reported damage to its thermal plants; this marked the ninth major hit since October and over 220 since the 2022 invasion.

Cultural heritage under fire

The overnight bombardment damaged the Hall of Glory at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, near Kyiv's iconic Motherland Monument. Culture Minister Tetyana Berezhna condemned the strike as "symbolic and cynical," hitting a site commemorating 20th-century resistance while repeating crimes today. Over 1,680 cultural sites have been damaged or destroyed across Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began, per the ministry.

Peace talks on horizon

The assault followed the end of a brief pause in energy strikes that Russia accepted at U.S. President Donald Trump's request. Moscow set the halt until February 1, while Ukraine saw it extending longer.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Tuesday, meeting Zelensky hours after the strikes began; they laid flowers at a memorial for fallen soldiers. Trilateral talks involving Ukrainian, Russian, and U.S. representatives resume Wednesday and Thursday in Abu Dhabi, with occupied territories unresolved. Zelensky said a Ukrainian delegation headed there, noting "issues to discuss" this time. He added that without pressure on Russia, the war won't end, as Moscow opts for terror and escalation.