Blasts heard across the capital

The Kyiv power plant missile strike unfolded on Tuesday evening, when AFP journalists in the Ukrainian capital reported hearing several blasts. The sounds of the attack came before any alert had been given: overnight from Monday to Tuesday, residents heard explosions from Russian strikes before air-raid sirens sounded, something that had occurred only rarely before.

Power plant and residential building hit

President Volodymyr Zelensky said a Russian ballistic missile struck a Kyiv power plant without advance warning from Western allies, killing at least two people and wounding around 20. He wrote on Facebook that energy infrastructure was the main target of the attack.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said the same attack:

• •killed at least two people and wounded around 20 others
• •also struck a residential building in the Desnianskyi district

Sirens that came too late

Zelensky said Ukraine's systems picked up the missiles only as they were nearing the city. On Tuesday, Ukrainian officials attributed the situation to the Russian military's use of hard-to-detect missiles or potential technical issues. Ukraine relies heavily on Western, particularly US, intelligence to detect incoming Russian attacks and help identify targets of its own.

Strike lands days after energy ceasefire announcement

The attack came days after US President Donald Trump announced an energy ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv. On Sunday, Trump said on Truth Social that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to end their long-range strikes on power plants and oil refineries. On Saturday, he had suggested it was "time for Ukraine to get a new president" and criticized Zelensky for strikes on Russian oil refineries.

Kyiv, home to some three million people, has come under increasing attack from Russian drones and missiles, with energy infrastructure a key target.