Russian strikes kill at least 9 people across Ukraine, damage dozens of power facilities

Russian strikes kill at least 9, as Ukraine reports intelligence, Starlink disruptions

Zelenskyy to meet with U.K. PM as questions again emerge about U.S. support

Russian strikes killed three people in Kyiv and plunged hundreds of thousands into darkness overnight, authorities said Wednesday, in an attack Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called "ostentatious disrespect" to Donald Trump's peace effort.

The hours-long missile and drone attack primarily targeted Kyiv and Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, and damaged 30 energy facilities, Zelenskyy said. At least 600,000 people were left without power, he added.

"The strike was entirely deliberate and demonstrative in its scale — Russia has never before shown such ostentatious disrespect toward the United States," Zelenskyy wrote on X.

"Russia does not consider the American president's statements strong."

Ukraine received no warnings from partners about missile attacks

Russian strikes continued throughout the day on Wednesday, with six people killed in the western city of Lutsk, where the regional governor said a warehouse and a residential building were hit.

Zelenskyy had earlier said Ukraine had received no warning from Western partners before a previous overnight attack on the capital. Trump said Tuesday that Washington was still sharing intelligence.

Sources have told Reuters and other news organizations that the U.S. threatened to cut off intelligence used for early warning of missile strikes on Ukraine unless Kyiv stops attacking Russian oil refineries.

Trump, who lifted sanctions on Russian diesel last week in a bid to lower politically sensitive fuel prices, has said that both sides agreed to halt strikes on energy infrastructure, though neither Moscow nor Kyiv confirmed it.

Ukrainian officials also said Wednesday that SpaceX had introduced a limit ‌on some Starlink services within the country, disrupting combat drone missions for which the technology is crucial.

The satellite internet terminals from Elon Musk's company are vital for guiding Ukraine's longer-range drone strikes in occupied ​southern and eastern Ukraine, which have wreaked ​havoc on Russian logistics.

"Our defence forces did not receive a warning about this limitation, and this led to the disruption of several missions," presidential ​adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov wrote on Telegram.

Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski asked Musk online if he was "playing politics" with Starlink. Poland has said that it pays ​for Kyiv's Starlink subscription.

A firefighter battles a blaze at an apartment building in Kyiv damaged by a Russian missile strike late Tuesday. (Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)

SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular U.S. business hours.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy was in Britain for talks with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

Kyiv and its European supporters are racing to shore up Ukrainian defences amid Russia's escalating bombardment and doubts about the Trump administration's commitment to helping Ukraine to fend off Moscow's invasion, which began in February 2022.

Burnham's office said the U.K. government will provide "urgent support" for Kyiv in the coming weeks and will accelerate delivery of air defence missiles that Ukraine desperately needs before the bitter winter sets in.

Zelenskyy says Ukraine had 'no warning' from its partners about Russian ballistic missile attack

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Russia's Defence Ministry said Wednesday it had struck four power plants in and around Kyiv and two in Kharkiv, among other targets.

Ukraine reported downing just four out of 39 missiles, reflecting Kyiv's weakened air defence against fast-moving ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones amid a shortage of weapons.

Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukrainian cities ahead of winter as it struggles on the battlefield, sparking fears of widespread power and heating outages across the country.

Ukraine, for its part, has increasingly been attacking Russian oil refineries and logistics hubs in recent months, in what it views as one of the few ways it can respond to more than four-and-a-half years of Russian bombardment.

Russian Deputy ‌Prime Minister Alexander ​Novak said on ​Wednesday that Ukraine ​attacked ⁠two ⁠oil refineries ‌during the day, in ⁠Saratov and Ryazan ‌regions.

"We see no indication that ​the ⁠Ukrainian ⁠side ⁠is ⁠moving towards an ​energy ceasefire," ​he ⁠said.

Trump blames Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries for the rise in fuel costs, especially of diesel, which has hit record prices since his war against Iran disrupted global oil supplies.

Ukrainian drones also hit Russia's biggest data centre on Wednesday, its owner Sberbank said.

The strike on the Balakovo data centre followed three attacks in the past week on data centres.

Russia's state RIA Novosti news agency reported in 2024 that the Sberbank centre would host Russia's biggest supercomputer, which is scheduled to go into operation in 2027.

With files from The Associated Press