Russian forces carried out a large-scale overnight assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in the early hours of Sunday, targeting multiple regions including the central city of Kremenchuk, as well as Chernihiv and Kyiv oblasts, Ukrainian officials reported.

Explosions were heard in Kremenchuk, located in Poltava Oblast, from around 1:30 a.m. local time, according to monitoring groups, as Ukraine’s Air Force warned of incoming Kinzhal hypersonic missiles and waves of attack drones.

Kremenchuk Mayor Vitaliy Maletsky said the strikes caused widespread disruptions to electricity, water and heating services across parts of the city, with emergency crews working through the night to restore critical systems.

Poltava Governor Volodymyr Kohut said multiple energy enterprises in the Kremenchuk district were struck, with direct hits and falling debris sparking fires and severely damaging technical equipment. No casualties were reported in that area.

Before the war, Kremenchuk had a population of around 215,000 and sits along the banks of the Dnipro River, roughly 250 kilometers (155 miles) southeast of Kyiv.

In northern Ukraine, Russian drone strikes targeted critical infrastructure and civilian facilities in Chernihiv Oblast, according to regional Governor Viacheslav Chaus.

Several settlements were left without electricity, though power was restored by morning. However, the attacks proved deadly: Chaus said a 50-year-old man was killed in his home, and a police officer was injured in Novhorod-Siverskyi.

Authorities reported damage to a police station, a medical college and multiple residential houses.                                                                                                                                                              

In the city of Chernihiv, a thermal power facility was attacked, and drone debris was recovered in urban areas, according to Dmytro Bryzhynskyi, head of the Chernihiv Regional Military Administration.

Explosions were also reported in the city of Fastiv in Kyiv Oblast during the night. While no immediate damage was confirmed, Fastiv has been repeatedly targeted in recent days.

On December 5, Russian forces struck the city as part of a mass missile and drone barrage aimed at Ukraine’s energy system. Fastiv’s main railway station was hit in that earlier attack, which President Volodymyr Zelensky described as “militarily senseless.”

The latest wave of attacks comes as Ukraine faces intensified Russian bombardment of energy facilities, a tactic widely seen as aimed at weakening civilian morale as winter deepens.

The strikes also come amid ongoing US-led efforts to negotiate an end to the war. Despite diplomatic pressure, Russian forces have continued to carry out regular attacks on Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure in recent months.

Emergency services remain on high alert as repair work continues and authorities warn that further attacks cannot be ruled out. (ILKHA)