'Missiles, one after another' — Kyiv blackouts as Russia strikes Ukraine's energy infrastructure once again
Editor's note: This is a developing story and will be updated as new details emerge.
Russia launched a large-scale drone and missile attack on Ukraine overnight on Oct. 10, killing a child and injuring at least 24 people in the country while leaving a part of Kyiv without electricity and water.
At least twelve people were injured in the capital, while a 7-year-old boy was killed and seven people were injured in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia. Five civilians were wounded in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
Multiple regions introduced emergency power shutdowns amid strikes on the energy grid.
The attacks come amid Russia's intensifying aerial campaign targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure ahead of the winter months.
Loud explosions and ballistic missiles were reported by Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground at approximately 2:30 a.m. local time as Russia carried out an attack on the Ukrainian capital. Additional explosions were reported at about 3:30 a.m.
"From the explosions that just occurred — a ballistic missile attack is ongoing. Missiles, one after another, air defense is active," Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said at 2:41 a.m., confirming reports of ballistic missiles.
Explosions and the sound of air defense systems operating were earlier reported by a journalist on the ground at about 1 a.m. local time.
Earlier in the night, at around 11:44 p.m. local time, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported on Telegram that Ukrainian air defense forces were actively countering the incoming drones.
Russia launched 465 Shahed-type attack drones and decoy drones, as well as 32 cruise and ballistic missiles, against Ukraine overnight, the Air Force reported.
Ukrainian air defenses reportedly intercepted 405 Russian drones and 15 missiles. Russia deployed the Iskander-M or KN-23 ballistic missiles, the Iskander-K cruise missiles, the Kh-59/69 aerial missiles, and the hypersonic Kinzhal missiles in the attack.
Moscow was "targeting everything that sustains normal life, everything the Russians want to deprive us of," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Eight out of the 12 people injured in the capital have been hospitalized, Klitschko reported.
"In Kyiv, due to strikes on critical infrastructure, there are power outages," he added as Russia targeted the Ukrainian capital's critical infrastructure.
A Kyiv Independent journalist in the city was left without water and power amid the strikes on the capital.
The part of the city east of the Dnipro River was left without electricity, and there are issues with Kyiv's water supply, Klitschko reported at 3:34 a.m.
As of 7 p.m. local time, water supply has been fully restored across Kyiv, local officials announced, while over 700,000 households remain without electricity in the city.
Electricity was also fully restored in Kyiv Oblast by 1 a.m. local time on Oct. 11, authorities said.
On the morning of Oct. 11, the energy company DTEK announced that power had been restored to over 800,000 households in the city of Kyiv.
Local authorities also reported disruptions to public transportation, including the metro, due to the outages.
In the Pecherskyi district, emergency services extinguished a fire in a burning residential building caused by falling drone debris, Klitschko said, adding that several floors had caught fire before the blaze was brought under control.
Residents of the building, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the explosion occurred around 2 a.m. local time, prompting an immediate response from firefighters and emergency crews.
Shortly after first responders arrived, witnesses reported seeing another drone fly over the building and continue deeper into the city.
"Before the strike, there was complete silence — not a sound. Then suddenly, an explosion," said one local resident. "So it must have been a gliding drone, or something similar."
As of the morning of Oct. 10, residents of the building struck by a drone fragment remain without gas and water, although electricity has been restored.
Serhii Zaboliev, who lives on the damaged building's 15th floor, said he had not heard any sounds of gunfire before the strike, but his neighbors spotted a drone that appeared to be on fire after being hit by air defenses.
"Our family is fine. Everyone is safe. Damage to our apartment is minor — a window frame was blown out," Zaboliev told the Kyiv Independent, explaining that the sixth or seventh floor suffered the worst damage.
"The worst thing was seeing people leaving the building injured: women in tears, children crying. It is the most terrible feeling."
In the Holosiivskyi district, another residential building was damaged, and nearby cars caught fire, Klitschko reported.
Meanwhile, in the Desniansky district, debris from a downed Russian missile landed near a medical clinic, according to preliminary reports.
The DTEK energy company said its specialists are working to restore the power supply, prioritizing critical infrastructure facilities. Equipment at one of the company's thermal power plants was damaged, and an employee was injured.
At many critical infrastructure sites, recovery efforts continue following Russia’s strike on the energy sector. It was a cynical and calculated attack, with more than 450 drones and over thirty missiles targeting everything that sustains normal life, everything the Russians want… pic.twitter.com/VoGrhhrVaW
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 10, 2025
This is the third strike on a DTEK facility this week, the company noted. Its thermal power plants have been attacked more than 200 times since the outbreak of the full-scale war in 2022.
"Last night's attack was a serious escalation in Russia's campaign against Ukraine's energy system — both its generation capacity and grid network," said Maxim Timchenko, DTEK's CEO.
Emergency power restrictions have been introduced elsewhere in Kyiv Oblast, as well as in the Poltava, Sumy, Donetsk, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv oblasts.
About 28,000 households were left without electricity in the Brovary and Boryspil districts of Kyiv Oblast, according to local authorities. Several apartment buildings, shops, and cars were damaged in the region.
In Poltava Oblast, an energy facility was damaged by direct hits and falling debris, leaving 16,578 households and around 800 companies without power, according to Governor Volodymyr Kohut.
Meanwhile, in Zaporizhzhia, Russian strikes killed an underage boy and injured at least seven other people, including a 35-year-old first responder, officials reported.
"Doctors fought for the child's life until the very end, but the injuries proved too severe," Governor Ivan Fedorov said.
The city was first attacked with Shahed drones around 2:00 a.m., one of which struck a residential building and caused a large fire.
Ballistic missiles then targeted the region again around 5:00 a.m., leading to additional explosions across the city.
"Windows were shattered, roofs torn apart, and several homes were left uninhabitable," Fedorov wrote.
Local officials warned that restoration work could take several days, as utility lines, parts of the heating system, and the gas supply network were also damaged.
The gas network pressure has been stabilized as of 8:23, Fedorov said.
Emergency services have been dispatched to the sites, and the full extent of damage and casualties remains under investigation.
Russia has occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022, subjecting the rest of the region to near-daily aerial and artillery attacks.
Moscow's forces also launched a massive attack against eastern Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, with explosions reported in the cities of Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, and Kamianske, local authorities said.
Five people were injured in the region, including three men aged 36, 46, and 53 wounded in Kryvyi Rih, Governor Serhii Lysak said. Two of the victims have been hospitalized and are in moderate condition.
The Energy Ministry earlier noted that Russia was launching a massive strike on Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure.
"As soon as security conditions allow, energy workers will begin assessing the consequences of the attack and restoration work," Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk said.
In recent weeks, Russia has intensified its strikes on Ukraine's civilian and energy infrastructure ahead of the winter season.
Russian strikes on energy infrastructure have destroyed more than half of Ukraine's natural gas production capacity ahead of winter, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 9, citing undisclosed sources.
"It is precisely the civilian and energy infrastructure that is the main target of Russia's strikes ahead of the heating season," Zelensky said.
"Together, we can protect people from this terror," he said, urging a "decisive action" by Western partners and the G7 through air defense supplies and sanctions.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
