Russian strikes kill 3, knock out power for 600,000 Ukrainians in latest snub to Trump’s energy cease-fire

Russian strikes killed three people in Kyiv and plunged hundreds of thousands into darkness overnight, authorities said on Wednesday, in an ​attack President Volodymyr Zelensky called “ostentatious disrespect” to President 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, Zelensky said. At least 600,000 people were left without power, he added.

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.

A woman with a bloodied face and bandaged head stands outside a residential building struck by Russia in Kyiv, Ukraine, Oct. 14, 2026. Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

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

“Russia ​does not consider the American President’s statements strong.”

Russia’s defence ministry said on Wednesday it had struck four power plants in and around Kyiv and two in Kharkiv, among other targets.

Low missile interception rate

Ukraine reported downing just ​four out of 39 missiles, reflecting Kyiv’s weakened air-defences 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.

Victoria Deineko holds her daughter Mia in front of a residential building damaged by a Russian missile strike in Kyiv, Oct. 13, 2026. AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka

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.

Wednesday’s Russian attacks also targeted state railway facilities in five regions across Ukraine, said Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi.

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 medics and police carry a victim’s body from the site of a Russian missile strike on a residential building in Kyiv, Oct. 14, 2026. SERGEY DOLZHENKO/EPA/Shutterstock

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

Zelensky ​had earlier said Ukraine had received no warning from Western partners before a previous overnight attack on the capital.

Trump said on Tuesday that Washington was still sharing intelligence.

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