Russia slams Kyiv with ballistic missiles as Ukrainians brace for harsh winter

Russian missile and drone attacks killed at least two people in Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday, with the Ukrainian capital rocked by multiple powerful explosions after authorities issued a missile alert.

More than 20 blasts were heard on Thursday, according to AFP journalists, after the Ukrainian Air Force warned that Russian ballistic missiles were headed for the city.

"Once again, the main targets of (the Russian) attack were Kyiv and civilian infrastructure – residential buildings, a maternity hospital, energy facilities and logistics. Two people are already known to have been killed," Zelensky wrote on Telegram.

In a message on X, Zelensky noted that "Russia will not end this war without pressure. As people were sleeping, flashes from explosions lit up the sky. Once again, the main targets of their strike were Kyiv and civilian infrastructure, residential buildings, a maternity hospital, energy infrastructure, and logistics."

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"Explosions in Kyiv. The capital is under ballistic missile attack. Remain in shelters!" Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko wrote in a Telegram message.

The strikes came as Zelensky was meeting members of the US Congress as part of his trip to the United States to request stronger sanctions against Moscow.

Read moreZelensky accuses Putin of using nationals of 47 countries to fight Ukraine war

Kyiv residents brace for harsh winter 

The barrage was the latest in an intensifying exchange of long-range attacks, with both Kyiv and Moscow signalling at the UN that they will escalate strikes and dimming prospects for diplomacy.

The first days of autumn chill have only barely set in over Kyiv, but winter is already dominating conversations among residents, who are making plans in case Russian strikes once again knock out the energy system.

The shadow of last winter hangs over Kyiv, which was plunged into darkness and bitter cold for weeks when Russian forces struck the country's power and heating infrastructure while temperatures dropped as low as -20C.

As Russia stepped up assaults on Kyiv, the question of what to do this winter is particularly pressing for families with children, said Oleksandra Matveieva, founder of a Facebook group for mothers.

"Now it seems Russians have started bombing Kyiv heavily," she said.

"Immediately, people, mostly mothers, started writing: 'we're ready to leave anywhere, as long as it's not too far and expensive'."

Travel Mama Club, originally founded for travelling mothers before evolving into an advice forum during the war, has recently seen a surge in publications concerning accommodation in relatively safer western Ukraine, or abroad.

"People are looking for a Plan B, even booking refundable apartments," she said. "They still don't know yet whether they will actually leave."

Russia has over the past month stepped up its attacks on the capital and air raid alerts urging locals to seek shelter due to incoming drones and missiles are now a nightly and, increasingly, daily occurrence.

If it used to target Kyiv mainly during the hours of darkness, Moscow now attacks more in broad daylight. The alerts paralyse life across the city – especially in schools and hospitals, which follow strict safety protocols.

'Critically cold'

The strikes are part of escalating infrastructure attacks by both Russia and Ukraine, which UN investigators warn are leaving civilians increasingly vulnerable as winter approaches.

US President Donald Trump said last week that Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to target each other's energy facilities, but the proposal failed to materialise.

Zelensky told the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday that, "Ukrainians understand that this winter could be very harsh for us, but in response we will have no choice but to make it painful for Russia too."

Ukrainian authorities have rushed to reinforce the battered energy system. The energy ministry said the country has already repaired 4.8 gigawatts of generating capacity and plans to restore or build over 10 gigawatts this year.

The International Energy Agency said in September last year that Ukraine had about 38 gigawatts of despatchable power generation capacity before Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Last winter, demand peaked at 18GW, while the capacity had dropped to 11GW after years of attacks, the agency said.

Kyiv mayor Vitaly Klitschko, who has been criticised by the government for failing to present a clear strategy, has said the city completed 80 percent of its preparations ahead of winter.

The CEO of Ukraine's main gas provider Naftogaz, Sergiy Fedorenko, acknowledged Russia's strikes were "stronger, broader, more dangerous".

"But we prepared for this the whole time between heating seasons and we will withstand these blows over this difficult winter," he told AFP.

Besides heating and energy, there are fears Russia may seek to destroy water supplies, Ukraine's Energy Minister Denys Shmygal said in August.

Residents are making their own preparations, dusting off the generators, portable batteries and hot water bottles they relied on last year, while making adjustments.

Some hold on to the hope the weather will be milder this year.

"If it's cold again, as critically cold as it was last year, I will leave," said Matveieva, who has a daughter.