Ukrainian parliament and half of Kiev without heat after Russian attack

Large-scale Russian air strikes in Ukraine have cut power to the Ukrainian parliament and half of residential buildings in Kiev, with temperatures across the country continuing to hover around -10 degrees Celsius.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a speech late on Tuesday that one million people in the capital were still without power.

Drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles struck multiple locations in Ukraine overnight, including Kiev, Dnipro in the center and Odessa in the south.

Zelensky earlier said a “large number” of targets had been intercepted. But he also said that repelling that attack had cost Ukraine about 80 million euros (£69 million) in terms of the price of the anti-aircraft missiles alone.

Strikes across Ukraine killed at least four people and injured 33 others from Monday to Tuesday.

Air-raid sirens in Kiev lasted much of the night. Alerts then sounded as Russian drones and cruise missiles approached the capital.

On Tuesday morning, more than 5,600 residential buildings in Kiev, each containing dozens of apartments, woke up to find there was no heating. Large parts of the capital are also without water.

Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said nearly 80% of buildings had just had heat restored after a massive attack on January 9 that knocked out power to much of the city. Since then, technicians’ tireless efforts have successfully restored power and gas to thousands of people, but that work was destroyed overnight.

“I have no electricity and no water,” 29-year-old war veteran Oleksandr Palii told the BBC. “I also stayed up until 3am because of the strike – there were explosions all night long.”

Like Ukrainian cities, the Verkhovna Rada does not have basic electricity, water and heating services, said parliament speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, calling on other parliaments not to remain silent.

Ukraine’s president was due to travel to Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday to attend the World Economic Forum, but after a night of strikes, he said he had decided to stay in Kiev.

He added that he would only travel to Davos if documents on security guarantees and a prosperity plan with the United States were ready for signature.

Temperatures have been well below freezing since the beginning of the year.

Ukrainian media reported instances of radiators bursting as water froze, flooding entire buildings. There have also been reports of fires caused by people using gas heaters indoors.

As the power outage continues, Kyiv residents are looking for innovative solutions to stay afloat. Many people now cook on portable stoves, and whole buildings pay for generators. But this largely depends on one’s financial capabilities.

“I think people who are less well off are coping much worse,” said Olha Zasiadvovk, a mother of one. She and other parents purchased lights and insulated containers for their children’s preschools “so that when the kitchen doesn’t have power, they can cook and store all the meals at once.”

But with only occasional power, she said, “food doesn’t preserve very well. Sometimes the food is cooked in the morning and by dinnertime the porridge is completely solid.”

In recent days, videos have circulated on social media showing Ukrainians barbecuing and dancing in snowy yards to keep warm in the face of ongoing power outages and frigid temperatures. But many say it has been the worst winter since all-out war broke out in 2022 and with no end in sight to hostilities, nerves are frayed.

“The resilience of the Ukrainian people cannot be an excuse for the continuation of this war. It must end as soon as possible,” Foreign Minister Andry Sibiha said on Tuesday.

The Kiev city government said that more than 10,000 people took refuge in the city’s subway stations on Monday night, including nearly 800 children.

Many high-rise buildings that are regularly targeted by drones have no shelter, so with the roar of air defense systems ringing overhead, the subway system deep underground remains the only place where people can seek safety.

President Zelensky said Ukraine had received missiles to repel Monday night’s attack, adding that the missiles provided significant help.

But he also stressed that the need for air defense systems remains critical. He told reporters that Russia used “more” ballistic missiles in the attacks and that Moscow’s production capabilities had not been undermined.

“So far, that hasn’t happened. That’s why we need more missiles and more air defense systems,” he said.

A flurry of diplomatic activity in late 2025 raised hopes of progress toward a peace deal with Russia.

But Zelensky signaled on Tuesday that he was concerned that rising tensions between the United States and Europe could harm Ukraine’s ability to defend itself. Currently, Kyiv’s European partners are purchasing missiles from the United States on behalf of Ukraine.

“When it comes to (defense against) ballistic missiles, the key right now is in the hands of the United States of America,” he said.

“It is very important that timely deliveries, smooth production and partners help us purchase the necessary missiles,” Zelensky stressed. “In other words, the security of Ukrainians depends to a large extent on the unity of Europe and the United States.”

Additional reporting by Liubov Sholudko.