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Russian strikes leave 600,000 in Ukraine without power
In brief
At least 600,000 people in Ukraine lost electricity after overnight Russian missile and drone strikes on October 13 to 14, 2026, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. The outages hit the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions, days after President Donald Trump announced an energy ceasefire that Moscow has not confirmed.
What was hit
Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 39 ballistic and cruise missiles and 128 drones overnight, and that four missiles and 115 drones were shot down, the BBC reported. Zelensky said 26 facilities in the power system and four in the oil and gas sector were damaged, according to CNBC. A strike on Kyiv also damaged a residential building, killing one person and injuring six, he said.
The 'energy ceasefire' question
On Sunday Trump posted that both sides had agreed to stop attacking each other's energy sites. Ukraine has welcomed the idea, while Russian officials have said talks are continuing without confirming a deal. Zelensky called the latest attack deliberate and said it should have been covered by the truce.
Starlink concerns
Separately, a Zelensky adviser said a new speed limit on Starlink terminals in motion, at about 160 km/h, was disrupting some military missions. The BBC reported that Ukraine's defence ministry was still verifying the threshold. SpaceX had not publicly commented in those reports.
Zelensky was due to meet UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham in London on Wednesday to discuss faster air defence deliveries.
General news summary based on the sources below. Figures are as reported by officials and may change.
Why it matters
Attacks on the grid ahead of winter put millions of civilians at risk and test whether any energy truce between Russia and Ukraine can hold.
Sources
- BBC News: Russian strikes leave 600,000 without power in Ukraine, as Starlink restrictions affect front line operations
- CNBC: Ukraine warns Starlink limits are disrupting military operations as Russia pounds its energy infrastructure
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