Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy sites cause heating and water cuts

Kyiv, Ukraine.

An overnight Russian drone and missile attack targeted critical infrastructure, including energy sites and railways, resulting in heating and water outages for thousands of households, Kyiv said on Saturday.

The latest round of airstrikes comes as Ukrainian negotiators prepare to meet in Florida with American envoys for a third day of talks on the US-drafted plan to end the nearly four-year conflict.

Russia launched 653 drones and 51 missiles at Ukraine overnight, the air force in Kyiv said on Saturday.

"The primary targets of these strikes were, once again, energy facilities." Russia's goal is to cause suffering for millions of Ukrainians," President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on social media.

According to Zelensky, a Russian drone strike hit and "burnt down the main railway station building in Fastiv", a city located approximately 70 kilometres (43 miles) southwest of Kyiv.

"There were no casualties, but suburban train traffic was disrupted," Ukraine's state railway operator, Ukrzaliznytsya, said.

According to Kyiv officials, drones and missiles targeted energy facilities in Chernigiv, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv, and Dnipropetrovsk.

"In the Odesa region, 9,500 subscribers are still without heat, and 34,000 are without water due to damage," Restoration Minister Oleksiy Kuleba stated.

Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced on X that an emergency coordination meeting of ministers had been convened in response to the strikes.

"During the ongoing elimination of the consequences of this attack, additional rolling power outages will be required across the country" to stabilise the system while repairs are underway, she added.

Despite the US-led efforts to end the conflict, Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's power and heating grid since its February 2022 invasion, destroying a significant portion of the country's critical civilian infrastructure.