Russian Drone And Missile Strikes Kill At Least Five, Wound 39 In Ukraine Power Grid

Russian drone and missile strikes targeting Ukraine’s power grid during the night killed at least five people and wounded 39 others, Ukrainian authorities said, as the attacks unfolded ahead of a brief truce.

“At least five people have been killed in Russian air strikes on Ukrainian state-run gas facilities in the Poltava and Kharkiv regions, officials said, a day after Kyiv and Moscow announced unilateral ceasefires to take effect later this week”

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rebuked Moscow for what he said was its “utter cynicism” after Russia announced a unilateral truce over two days later this week while it marks the 81st anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

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“Russia could cease fire at any moment, and this would stop the war and our responses,” Mr Zelensky said in a post on X, adding, “Peace is needed, and real steps are needed to achieve it. Ukraine will act in kind.”

The truce proposal followed Russia’s pattern of declaring short unilateral ceasefires timed to holidays, while Kyiv and Moscow remained locked in “deep mistrust” more than four years after Russia launched an all-out invasion of its neighbour.

The Russian Defence Ministry declared a unilateral ceasefire for Friday and Saturday but said it would strike back if Ukraine tried to disrupt festivities on Victory Day, which Russia marks annually on May 9.

Zelensky replied that Ukraine would observe a truce beginning at 12am on Wednesday and would respond in kind to Russia’s actions from that moment on, without putting an end date on the truce.

Multiple outlets tied the latest casualties to attacks on Ukraine’s gas infrastructure, with Ukrainian officials describing a “double-tap” strike on emergency crews.

The New Voice of Ukraine reported that Russian forces attacked Poltava Oblast with UAVs and missiles on the night of May 5, killing five and wounding 37, including emergency workers and Naftogaz employees, citing Ukrainian State Emergency Services reports on May 5.

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It also quoted Zelensky saying, “It is deeply cynical to call for a ceasefire for propagandistic celebrations while continuing daily missile and drone strikes in the lead-up to them,” referring to Russia's overnight attacks and Putin’s May 9 “truce.”

The same report said the Russian overnight attack targeted energy infrastructure and that Russian forces “conducted an appalling double-tap strike on emergency crews working to put out fires caused by the initial attack.”

RBC-Ukraine described the sequence more directly, saying Russian forces struck rescuers with a missile overnight as they were extinguishing a fire at a gas facility in the Poltava region, killing two and injuring 23, and that the strike was carried out after they arrived at the site of the initial attack.

Ukrinform and The Kyiv Independent likewise described five deaths and 37 injured, with Naftogaz stating that three employees and two members of Ukraine's State Emergency Services died in the overnight strikes targeting facilities in Poltava and Kharkiv oblasts.

Several reports put names and roles on the casualties and detailed the injury counts, while Ukrainian officials framed the strikes as deliberate attacks on people responding to fires.

“KYIV, December 24 (Reuters) - Russia carried out an overnight attack on Ukrainian oil and gas infrastructure, causing the shutdown of equipment, Naftogaz, the Ukrainian state-owned energy company, said on Wednesday”

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The New Voice of Ukraine said the attack killed two emergency workers and a Naftogaz employee, and it reported that among the 37 injured, “some are in serious condition,” while also describing a two-day mourning period announced after the attack.

Ukrinform and The Kyiv Independent both tied the deaths to Naftogaz employees and State Emergency Service rescuers, with Ukrinform stating, “Three Naftogaz Group employees and two State Emergency Service rescuers were killed, with 37 more people wounded.”

The Kyiv Independent added that Naftogaz said in a May 5 Telegram post that three of their employees and two members of Ukraine's State Emergency Services died, and it said the strikes targeted facilities in Poltava and Kharkiv oblasts and included both drones and ballistic missiles.

RBC-Ukraine named Viktor Kuzmenko, deputy head of the operational coordination center of the State Emergency Service in the Poltava region and a Hero of Ukraine, and Dmytro Skryl, a firefighter-rescuer with more than 20 years of service, as victims of the second strike.

It also quoted the Ministry of Internal Affairs saying, “These are deliberate strikes on those who save lives. We are documenting every war crime committed by Russia. The enemy must be held accountable for the killing of Ukrainians,” while Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat explained that the enemy has “certain means, including decoy drones” to “further pressure Ukraine, to complicate our air defense, and, of course, to exhaust air defense assets.”

The ceasefire proposals and the scale of the overnight attack were described in parallel, with Ukrainian and Russian accounts diverging in emphasis and with multiple figures for incoming weapons and interceptions.

Belfast Telegraph said Russian forces fired 11 Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 164 strike drones at Ukraine overnight from Monday to Tuesday, and it reported that air defence units stopped 149 drones and one missile, while “Two ballistic missiles failed to reach their targets.”

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It also said Russia hit natural gas production facilities in Ukraine’s central Poltava and northe-astern Kharkiv regions, with Naftogaz Group saying its facilities had come under attack 107 times since the start of the year.

The Kyiv Independent reported that Russian attacks on Ukraine’s oil and gas infrastructure have ramped up over the past year, and it said Naftogaz reported it has fallen under drone, missile and artillery strikes a total of 107 times since the beginning of 2026.

United24 Media said, “Across the country, Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia launched 11 Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 164 drones overnight,” and it added that air defenses intercepted most of the incoming threats while “multiple strikes and falling debris were recorded.”

The Jerusalem Post reiterated the casualty frame and placed it alongside rival ceasefire proposals, while Belfast Telegraph reported Svyrydenko saying Russia’s ceasefire proposals “remain only statements.”

Beyond the immediate battlefield reporting, the Jerusalem Post described Britain’s sanctions as targeting Russia-linked recruitment and drone production, placing the strikes and ceasefire rhetoric within a broader pressure campaign.

“✕ Home News Analysis Agro-Forestry Art & Culture Technology Economy & Business Education Energy & Extractives Politics Law & Governance Health Science & Environment Social & Gender Sports Transport Urban Development WASH Research LogIn/SignUp Close the sidebar Russia's Devastating Assault on Ukrainian Gas Facilities Amid Ceasefire Proposals A Russian missile and drone attack on Ukrainian gas production facilities killed five, including two rescue workers”

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It said Britain on Tuesday announced sanctions against 35 people and entities involved in recruiting vulnerable migrants to fight for Russia and produce drones for use in the conflict, and it said the Foreign Office announced 17 designations under its global irregular migration sanctions regime.

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The Jerusalem Post quoted sanctions minister Stephen Doughty saying, “The practice of exploiting vulnerable people to prop up Russia's failing and illegal war in Ukraine is barbaric,” and it added that the sanctions would “disrupt the operations of those trafficking migrants as cannon fodder and feeding (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's drone factories with illicit components.”

The same article tied the sanctions announcement to the ongoing exchange of ceasefire proposals, describing the Russian overnight missile and drone attack on Ukrainian gas production facilities that killed five people and wounded 37.

In parallel, Belfast Telegraph reported that Zelensky said Ukraine would observe a truce beginning at 12am on Wednesday and would respond in kind to Russia’s actions from that moment on, while also noting that Zelensky did not put an end date on the truce.

RBC-Ukraine said the Ministry of Internal Affairs was documenting “every war crime committed by Russia” and insisted “The enemy must be held accountable,” while Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said Russia’s tactics included “decoy drones” aimed at “exhaust air defense assets.”