Russia hits power plants, kills four, leaves Kyiv under smoke

Russian drone and missile attacks on Kyiv and nearby areas killed four people, damaged energy infrastructure and shrouded the capital in smoke, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday.

Two women and a 14-year-old child died in overnight strikes on the Ukrainian capital and a town on the northern outskirts. Another person was killed in an attack on a Kyiv warehouse on Wednesday, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

Ukraine is expecting another winter assault on power and heating facilities after last year entire cities were plunged into darkness and cold for days or weeks.

Russia acknowledged the massive overnight assault, saying it had hit a data centre in the capital supporting Ukraine's armed forces, various power plants in the Kyiv region, an industrial complex in Odesa region, and port infrastructure in Izmail.

Ukraine's air force said that Moscow had deployed anti-ship and ballistic missiles and 188 drones, with five missiles and 155 drones intercepted.

Power company DTEK did not detail the damage to energy infrastructure in Kyiv but said workers had restored supply to 8,000 households.

DEBRIS AT WESTERN EMBASSY

On Wednesday morning, Kyiv was shrouded in thick fog from the smoke of attacks. Emergency services asked residents to keep windows closed.

Citing preliminary information, Klitschko said debris had been found at a Western embassy in the centre of Kyiv. He did not specify which embassy.

Among neighbouring nations, a drone crossed into Moldova's airspace and exploded near the eastern village of Hirbovet, while European Union and NATO members Romania and Poland both scrambled military jets, the countries said.

Flights at Polish airports Lublin and Rzeszow were temporarily suspended.

Ukraine has also increased attacks on Russia, hitting refineries and online retailers to undermine Moscow's war effort.

One person was killed in drone attacks in Russia's Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, while a Ukrainian drone attack on the oil-producing Samara region damaged private houses, regional governors said.