Russia launched its largest aerial assault on Ukraine this year on Tuesday, resuming direct attacks on energy infrastructure.
The attack took part despite a request from President Donald Trump that Moscow refrain from striking such targets during extreme winter cold.
The assault hit eight Ukrainian regions, striking thermal power plants that provide heat to Kyiv and major cities including Kharkiv and Dnipro, according to Ukraine's energy ministry.
Nearly 2,000 apartment buildings were left without heating as temperatures plunged to minus 13 degrees Fahrenheit, The Wall Street Journal reported. At least 12 people were injured.
Trump said last Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to pause energy strikes for a week because of the frigid conditions.
While Russia continued nightly barrages on other infrastructure, direct attacks on energy facilities appeared to stop briefly before resuming Tuesday.
"We asked President Putin if they could stop the shooting for a week," Trump told reporters last week at the White House. "They're being hit with, proportionately, the kind of cold that we're being hit. It's much colder in Ukraine to start off with, but it's really cold.
"He agreed to do that. We appreciated that very much."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the strikes showed Moscow's lack of commitment to diplomacy ahead of renewed talks between the U.S., Russia and Ukraine scheduled for Wednesday in Abu Dhabi.
"Each such Russian strike confirms that attitudes in Moscow have not changed," Zelenskyy said, calling for faster delivery of air-defense systems, noting that such an attack "can be intercepted only by Patriot systems."
The Kremlin previously acknowledged the request and said it had agreed to halt energy strikes until Feb. 1, but declined to clarify whether the pause remained in effect. Ukraine said the ceasefire effectively ended Tuesday.
Ukraine's air force said it intercepted most of the attack, downing 412 drones and 38 missiles. Russia said it struck energy facilities supporting Ukraine's military.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte arrived in Ukraine during the attack and said Russia was attempting to cripple the country's energy system, urging allies to provide more air-defense interceptors.
"It is important that the @SecGenNATO is with us in Ukraine at such a brutal moment of this war, when the Russians have once again disregarded the efforts of the American side," Zelenskyy posted on X.
"Ukraine needs much more," Rutte said. "And we are urgently working to ensure that more is delivered as quickly as possible.
"I continue to work with allies, urging them to dig deep in their stockpiles, knowing how pressing is the need."
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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