Russia has launched a major air attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, including power plants in the vicinity of Kyiv and other areas, on Wednesday. The combined attack on the country’s energy sites is the most significant in months.

In the offensive, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s reports, seven people, including a child, have died. The barrage of drones has been stepped up over the past few days, with a particular focus on the capital, and could mark the start of a severe winter campaign to paralyse Ukrainian cities by pounding their infrastructure.

Due to the protests, the state power grid operator Ukrenergo introduced emergency power shut-offs in three regions, including Kyiv, and the Ukrainian capital. It marked the first time such drastic action was needed in the capital since spring.

This caused the trams and trolley buses in the city to come to a halt at the end of the day. At the same time, Kyiv’s water supply company reported that it lost a considerable amount of system pressure, adding to the inconvenience for the citizens.

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine confirmed the escalation, with the Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi saying a simultaneous strike of this scale hadn’t happened since the end of the previous heating season. The local authorities were immediately asked to check and install alternative power at key locations after the attacks during the night.

Ukrainian air defense forces managed to shoot down 254 Russian drones out of 285 launched in the attack, Ukraine Defense Ministry said. Along with the interception of the fleet, 174 fast, high altitude jet propelled models were also intercepted, and they were followed by a ballistic missile attack.

On a trip to a military command post near the eastern frontline town of Lyman, Zelenskyy lauded the counteroffensive that is underway, stating that Ukrainian troops have seized 176 square kilometers of territory. Russia meanwhile asserted its strike on power plants in the Kyiv region, an industrial complex in Odesa and port infrastructure in Ismail as successful.

The strikes also had an immediate impact on the other side of the border in the rest of the world. Moldova said it saw three drones fly into its territory, while military aircraft scrambled from Romania and Poland to patrol their airspace. The airport in Lublin and Rzeszow in Poland suspended flights “in response to the closeness of the attacks.

The international impact of the strikes was also felt immediately across the border. Moldova reported three drones crossing into its airspace, while NATO members Romania and Poland scrambled military jets to secure their borders. Flights at the Polish airports of Lublin and Rzeszow were temporarily suspended due to the proximity of the attacks.