Zelenskyy says Ukraine given no early warning from allies as Russia strikes energy targets

Russia launched new attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure using ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday, adding that Kyiv again received no early warning of the attack from partner countries that previously shared their intelligence.

Zelenskyy is grappling with recent Washington moves benefitting Russian President Vladimir Putin, including waiving U.S. sanctions on Moscow and signing a deal to import diesel from Moscow.

Moscow and Kyiv, meanwhile, were discussing the possible evacuation of the Russian-occupied front-line city of Oleshky in the southern Kherson region, where about 2,000 people have been cut off from food and medical supplies for months, according to a Ukrainian human rights official.

Zelenskyy said speed restrictions are still in place on Kyiv's use of the military-grade version of U.S. company SpaceX's satellite internet service.

Full service was being restored at the end of last week, but Zelenskyy said Monday that the restrictions are still slowing Ukraine's drones along the front.

People carry their belongings with them, after leaving their office in Kyiv, following a Russian air attack on Monday. (Efrem Lukatsky/The Associated Press)

Also, a severe shortage of American-made Patriot air defence systems has made Ukraine more vulnerable. Delays are still occurring with some "vital supplies" from the U.S., Zelenskyy said without elaborating, and senior Kyiv officials are urgently contacting other countries to strengthen air defences.

Western intelligence sharing has helped Ukraine counter Russia's devastating ballistic missiles and hold back Moscow's full-scale invasion, which began more than 4½ years ago.

U.S. President Donald Trump says Washington hasn't stopped providing intelligence to Kyiv. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio repeated that position Monday, saying he had no information about the previous night's Russian attack.

More than 500,000 without electricity

The Russian nighttime barrage hit 28 substations and other critical energy facilities, depriving more than a half-million people of electricity, heat and running water, Zelenskyy said on social media.

WATCH | 24 hours in Kyiv :

24 hours in Kyiv: Living through Russian drone strikes

September 25|

Duration

9:33

Russia fired 16 ballistic missiles at Kyiv and its surrounding region, Zelenskyy said, with officials in the capital reporting a 21-year-old woman was killed.

Ukraine received no warning from its partners ahead of the first wave of attacks, and information about a second wave arrived too late for air raid sirens to be activated in time, air force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said on national television.

The Russian defence ministry said that it struck Ukrainian targets including a data centre, a logistics hub storing components for drones and cruise missiles, an industrial facility making drone components, and a locomotive depot where missiles are stored.

It also said it struck a bulk carrier in the Black Sea heading for Odesa with supplies for Ukraine's armed forces.

• Russian strikes kill at least 9, as Ukraine reports intelligence, Starlink disruptions

• St. Petersburg oil facilities ablaze as Ukraine launches more than 1,000 drones at Russia

Trump accuses Zelenskyy of not wanting the war with Russia to end. Washington's efforts to bring peace, meanwhile, have failed, including a recent truce covering energy infrastructure that Trump had demanded.

On Monday, Trump said he ‌thought someone other than Zelenskyy should negotiate ​on Kyiv's behalf as ​it seeks to end the war with Russia.

"Maybe ​it's time for Zelenskyy ⁠to get ⁠somebody ‌else to negotiate," said Trump, who on Oct. 10 had called for Ukraine to ⁠replace the president.

Help from Western allies has been vital for Ukraine's defence against Russia's bigger military, but fears have mounted that Trump may be turning his back on Ukraine.

People in Kyivwalk by a McDonald's restaurant and nearby apartment building on Monday that were damaged by a Russian missile attack. (Gleb Garanich/Reuters)

Western analysts and officials say Putin believes that he can wait for foreign support for Ukraine to unravel and that Russia's bigger military will then crush Ukraine's resistance.

"Ukraine never wanted this war, and we have welcomed literally EVERY attempt by our partners to bring this war to a dignified end. We have responded positively to EVERY ceasefire proposal," Zelenskyy said Monday on social media.

"The reality is that the war continues, and it continues solely because of Russian strikes and Russia's desire to drag this war out."

Ukraine has held back Moscow's forces on the front line and has hit back with long-range strikes on oil refineries deep inside Russia that triggered fuel shortages.

On Sunday, Ukraine launched more than 1,000 drones at Russia in one of its largest aerial attacks of the war, setting fire to an oil export terminal and a depot in St. Petersburg.

Some in Kyiv 'accustomed' to attacks

Russia has sought to disrupt daily life in Ukraine by attacking trains, shopping malls, gas stations and supermarkets, among other sites.

People walk past a shopping mall in Kyiv that was damaged in a Russian air attack. (Oleksii Filippov/AFP/Getty Images)

Kyiv resident Serhii Brezhniuk, owner of a shopping mall store damaged Monday, said he had grown used to the relentless bombardment.

"It's what we see every single day," he told The Associated Press. "We've grown accustomed to it."

Alla Suska, 66, said she noticed many people walking around with bags under their eyes from a lack of sleep.

"Since there are attacks every night and air raid alerts all day long, naturally, we don't get any proper rest," she said.

Maksym Maksymovych, 44, said he felt the tension mounting amid Russia's escalation. His son's school was damaged in the attack, he said.

"You sort of get used to all these events — after all, we've been living in Kyiv since the war began — but you can see the explosions drawing closer and closer," he said.

Suffering front-line city gets attention

Russia and Ukraine are engaged in talks on ending the plight of people trapped in Oleshky, Ukrainian human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said in an interview with Espreso.

Oleshky has gotten global attention in recent weeks as the desperate plight of its trapped civilians came to light. There is no electricity, heat or running water in the city, which was seized by Russia on the first day of the 2022 invasion, and escaping it is fraught with risk from mined roads and drone attacks. It sits across the Dnipro River from Kherson, which is held by Ukrainian troops.

Both sides blame each other for bringing the city to the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. Russia says Ukraine deliberately blocks supplies and evacuations; Kyiv counters that Moscow is effectively holding civilians hostage.