Officials say thousands of Ukrainians without electricity, heat and water after Russian attacks
Here are the main news lines from Russian missile and drone attacks were reported in Ukraine last night, plunging parts of the country into darkness and leaving hundreds of thousands without heat and water:
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We previously reported about the attacks in the southern city odessa According to Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba, where about 300,000 people are left without water. He said about 200 buildings had no heating.
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in the capital city KyivMayor Vitaliy Klitschko said about 3,500 buildings were left without heating this morning following the attacks, with power supply disrupted to 2,600 high-rise buildings, 1,100 of which were already affected by previous attacks.
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In Dnipro In Ukraine’s southeast, regional governor Oleksandr Ganja said four people were injured, including a baby and a four-year-old.
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Ukrainian energy firm DTEK said one of its thermal power plants was targeted and caused “extensive damage”, but did not disclose the location. “This is the eleventh large-scale attack on the company’s thermal power plants since October 2025,” DTEK said in a statement.
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Andrey SybihaUkraine’s foreign minister condemned the attacks, saying they undermine US-led diplomatic efforts to end the war. “Russia must be forced to take diplomacy seriously and de-escalate tensions,” he said in a social media post. “This can only be achieved through unity, strength and increased pressure on Moscow.”
major events
EU leaders go to Belgian palace for talks
jennifer rankin
away from ukraine, EU leaders are gathering this morning in the esoteric setting of the Alden Bissen castle in the eastern Belgian countryside for a summit dedicated to economic revival in the face of Donald Trump’s tariff threats and fierce competition from China.
Founded by the Teutonic Knights in the 13th century, the location was chosen because it offered a change of scenery for the leaders. In EU parlance, a summit is an informal meeting, i.e. a brainstorming session, rather than a day of major decisions.
Readers may wonder why the meeting of the EU 27 leaders in Belgium cannot be held at the Europa Building in Brussels, a purpose-built venue for EU summits.
For EU officials who have forgotten what European Council President Antonio Costa described as a retreat.
A senior EU official said the change of location was useful.
“Why do they need to go to Alden Bissen or to a more secluded place with a different environment? Well, precisely because we have seen that it is useful to create an environment for these types of discussions. And we have seen that these discussions are very useful in our decision-making process.”
In February 2025, EU leaders – including Prime Minister Keir Starmer as guest – held their first summit dedicated to defence, at the Palais d’Egmont in Brussels. The meeting paved the way for the €800bn (about £697bn) Rearma Europe plan a month later.
Photos: Fire breaks out in Odessa due to Russian drone attacks
We have some photos from the newswire showing the fire that broke out in parts of Odessa in the south of Ukraine last night and its aftermath. Local officials said the Russian attack damaged residential buildings and markets in the city.
Ukrainian athlete disqualified from skeleton due to helmet tribute
Our sports team has the latest information The International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to ban Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladislav Hraskevich from competing at the Winter Olympics over his use of a helmet in honor of Ukrainian athletes killed in the war with Russia.
The IOC cited a rule against making political statements at Olympic sites and venues in saying that helmets depicting the faces of Ukrainian athletes and coaches killed in the war would not be allowed in competition.
A last-minute request for “some form of compromise” was made on Thursday, but to no avail, the IOC said in a statement. The IOC had suggested he wear a black armband during the competition to pay tribute to the deceased athletes, which the 26-year-old rejected.
Follow our live coverage of the Winter Olympics 2026 for the latest developments on this story:
morning opening
Hello, Taz Ali here to bring you the latest news for our Europe live blog.
Hundreds of thousands of people in the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa are left without electricity or water supply That’s after Russia launched a massive drone strike overnight, according to local officials. Nearly 300,000 people have been affected by the power cuts, while one person is reported injured.
it was part of a A massive attack took place across the country targeting energy infrastructure In cities including the capital Kyiv And Dnipro in south-east Ukraine, an official said.
“Hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles targeted the energy system, depriving people of electricity, heating and water.” Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Andrey SybihaSaid on social media. He said a baby and a four-year-old boy were among the dozens of people injured in last night’s attack.
While diplomatic efforts to end the war continue, Russia has escalated attacks into Ukraine, primarily aimed at weakening the country’s energy systems in the depth of winter.
During this time, EU leaders are meeting today in a castle in Belgium to consider how to compete with the US and China and transform the bloc into a major economic superpower. They are not expected to make any decisions at the informal summit at Alden Bissen Castle, but the talks could give some indication of how the 27 member states plan to strengthen the single market, reduce Europe’s dependence on foreign powers and make the EU more competitive.
We’ll also bring you the latest on the flooding and devastation in Portugal and other parts of Europe following deadly winter storms.. Criticism of her government’s response to weather-related disasters led to the resignation of Portugal’s Interior Minister, Maria Lucia Amaral.
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