Russian forces destroyed a large energy facility in Ukraine’s second-biggest city, Kharkiv, the mayor said on Thursday, the latest target of a winter air campaign by Moscow that has plunged millions of Ukrainians into darkness and cold. Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram that emergency crews were working around the clock, while he did not specify what sort of facility had been hit. Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said officials were assessing the extent of damage.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy proceeded with a drive to tackle the damage inflicted by Russian strikes, chairing a meeting aimed at securing quick decisions from regional leaders. The Ukrainian president said there had been new strikes on the capital into the evening. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said about 300 apartment buildings remained without heat after a 9 January attack knocked out heating to half the city’s high-rises.
The UK on Friday announced new emergency energy support of £20m ($27m) for Ukraine after Zelenskyy declared a state of emergency following sustained attacks on the country’s power infrastructure. He acted as emergency crews worked to restore heating and electricity in Kyiv and other cities after last week’s attacks by Russia knocked out supplies during sub-zero temperatures. The British support includes funding aimed at keeping electricity and heating on in homes, hospitals and schools across winter.
The Ukrainian prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, introduced measures to deal with power and heating outages, reducing overnight curfews and allowing businesses and government institutions to import more power. School holidays in Kyiv were extended until 1 February. Foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said the foreign and energy ministries had organised an appeal for funds to help tackle Ukraine’s energy problems, similar to periodic meetings on arms supplies. Norway, he said, had made an initial grant of $200m.
The International Monetary Fund chief is in Ukraine for the first time since 2023 for high-level meetings, the fund said on Thursday, as Kyiv awaits approval on key funding nearly four years since Russia’s invasion. IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva was in Kyiv for a “short visit” during which she would meet with Zelenskyy and other top leaders, an IMF spokesperson said.
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte spoke to Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the latest Russian attacks on Ukraine. Rutte posted on X that they talked on Thursday “about the energy situation in Ukraine, with Russia’s attacks causing terrible human suffering, as well as on the ongoing efforts to bring an end to the war”. He also said: “We’re committed to ensuring that Ukraine continues to get the crucial support needed to defend today and ultimately secure a lasting peace.” In his account of the conversation, Zelenskyy said he discussed the “serious challenges” posed by the latest Russian strikes and the need to bolster Ukraine’s air defences.
Anti-corruption investigators have reportedly accused Yulia Tymoshenko, the prominent Ukrainian opposition figure and former prime minister, of organising a scheme to bribe MPs – said to include figures from Zelenskyy’s own party – to undermine him. A spokesperson for the specialised anti-corruption prosecutor’s office (Sapo) said on Wednesday that Tymoshenko had been charged after the offices of her Fatherland party were raided late on Tuesday night by officers from Sapo and the national anti-corruption bureau, report Peter Beaumont and Artem Mazhulin. Tymoshenko has not been formally identified but she released a statement denying any accusations.
Zelenskyy said on Thursday that Ukraine was not an obstacle to peace, pushing back against comments made a day earlier by Donald Trump. “We also talked about diplomatic work with America – Ukraine has never been and will never be an obstacle to peace,” the Ukrainian president said in his nightly video address.
