KYIV, Ukraine — More than 1,300 apartment buildings in the Ukrainian capital remained without heat Sunday after a Russian missile and drone attack damaged critical infrastructure, city officials said. Utility crews worked to reconnect the Kyiv heating network in subzero weather, Jan. 25, 2026.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said 1,330 buildings still lacked service even after crews restored heat to about 2,000 buildings since Saturday evening, according to Reuters. The strike came as U.S.-brokered talks continued in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 375 drones and 21 missiles in the Jan. 24 barrage. A separate Reuters report said the attack knocked out electricity for about 1.2 million properties nationwide. Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said more than 800,000 households in Kyiv and about 400,000 in the Chernihiv region were still without power as repairs continued. Klitschko said one person was killed and four were injured in Kyiv.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the strikes were aimed at breaking civilian life as much as degrading the grid. “Russia’s main targets right now are our energy sector, critical infrastructure, and residential buildings,” he wrote on X, adding that Russia had launched more than 1,700 attack drones, over 1,380 guided aerial bombs and 69 missiles in a single week.
Kyiv heating outages: what’s restored, what’s still out
City officials warned that reconnecting a district-heating network does not immediately warm every apartment. Power cuts can limit building-level pumps and controls, and uneven pressure can leave some risers cold even after the main line returns.
At the height of the weekend strike, Reuters reported that nearly 6,000 buildings were left without heat when the temperature hit minus 12 degrees Celsius (about 10 degrees Fahrenheit) Saturday morning.
For residents, the problem is compounded by blackouts that stop elevators and darken stairwells in high-rise districts. A recent Associated Press report from Kyiv described families timing daily routines around short electricity windows.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said hundreds of “resilience points” and heating tents were operating in the capital, while utility workers continued reconnecting buildings, the Kyiv Independent reported. The outlet said the 1,330 buildings still without Kyiv heating represent about 15% of the city’s housing stock.
Kyiv heating has been a target since 2022
Russia’s campaign against utilities has shaped three winters of wartime life. In October 2022, the AP reported that Russia was escalating attacks on power and water systems as temperatures fell. In December 2022, Klitschko warned in a Reuters interview that a prolonged outage could force Kyiv to drain heating systems to prevent pipes from freezing and bursting. In April 2024, Russian missiles and drones destroyed the Trypilska coal-powered thermal power plant near Kyiv, a major regional supplier, Reuters reported.
With Kyiv heating repairs continuing and the threat of renewed strikes hanging over the grid, officials urged residents to use official warming points and check on vulnerable neighbors as crews work to restore heat building by building.
