Russia launched a new wave of missile attacks on Ukraine, focusing on power plants and energy infrastructure while Ukrainians face freezing weather with temperatures at minus 20 degrees Celsius.
Foreign news agencies reported on 3 Feb 2026 that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched a record number of ballistic missiles to strike Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
DTEK, a private Ukrainian energy company, stated that simultaneous missile and drone attacks targeted power plants and infrastructure in Kyiv and two other plants in Odesa, marking Russia's most intense attack this year.
The attacks caused over 1,000 residential buildings in the capital to lose heating once again. Additionally, a power plant in the eastern city of Kharkiv was damaged beyond repair amid temperatures of minus 20 degrees Celsius.
Zelensky said Russia is "choosing terrorism and escalation" instead of diplomacy to end the war and called on Ukraine's allies to apply "maximum pressure" on Moscow.
This latest attack came after the so-called "energy ceasefire agreement" arranged by Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin ended over the past weekend. The Ukrainian leader noted that Russia merely used that period to stockpile missiles and prepare for the next wave of attacks.
The BBC reported that their journalists heard the first explosions in Kyiv shortly after midnight, with air raid sirens sounding continuously for more than seven hours, followed by multiple explosions.
Zelensky said Russia fired over 70 ballistic and cruise missiles, far more than usual, along with 450 drones used to overwhelm Ukraine's air defense systems.
Ukraine's air force revealed that they intercepted only 38 missiles, meaning many missiles successfully hit their targets.
Ukraine has repeatedly appealed to its allies about shortages of air defense missiles, particularly relying heavily on U.S.-made Patriot missiles.
"Timely delivery of air defense missiles and protection of civilians is our top priority," Zelensky wrote on X. "Without pressure on Russia, this war will never end."
NATO's secretary-general said he is urging member states to "fully deploy available resources" and urgently supply Ukraine with needed missiles, adding that Russia's overnight attacks show no commitment to peace.
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Source:bbc