Russian barrage on Kyiv kills one, leaves hundreds of thousands without power

KYIV - A Russian drone and missile barrage on Kyiv and its suburbs on Dec 27 killed one person, wounded two dozen and cut off heating and electricity for hundreds of thousands of people left in freezing temperatures.

An air alert lasted several hours after loud overnight explosions, some accompanied by bright flashes that turned the sky orange, according to AFP reporters in Kyiv.

The attack killed a 47-year-old woman, Kyiv regional governor Mykola Kalashnyk said.

“There are already 19 persons affected in the capital. Eleven persons have been hospitalised,” said Kyiv mayor Vitaliy Klitschko. He added that 2,600 residential buildings and hundreds of kindergartens, schools and social buildings had lost heat.

“As of this morning, part of the left bank of the region remains without electricity. Currently, more than 320,000 consumers are without power,” Mr Kalashnyk added.

Ukraine’s air force announced a countrywide air alert early on Dec 27 and said that drones and missiles were moving over several Ukrainian regions.

The attack came ahead of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s meeting with US President Donald Trump in Florida on Dec 28 to discuss a proposed plan to end the fighting that has killed tens of thousands since 2022.

Russia accused Mr Zelensky and his EU backers on Dec 26 of seeking to “torpedo” the US-brokered plan.

The latest plan is a 20-point proposal that would freeze the war on its current front line but open the door for Ukraine to pull back troops from the east, where demilitarised buffer zones could be created, according to details revealed by Mr Zelensky this week. AFP