Russia launches massive attack on Ukraine's energy system, Zelenskiy says

 Russia launched a massive air attack on Ukrainian energy facilities overnight on Saturday, targeting electricity generation and distribution, Kyiv said.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the overnight attack involved more than 400 drones and some 40 missiles of various types, targeting the grid, generation facilities and distribution substations.

Nearly four years into the war that began with Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbour, Ukraine's battered energy sector is crumbling under the Russian strikes, accumulated wartime damage and bitterly cold winter weather.

"Every day, Russia could choose real diplomacy, but it chooses new strikes," Zelenskiy posted on X. "It is crucial that everyone who supports the trilateral negotiations respond to this. Moscow must be deprived of the ability to use the cold as leverage against Ukraine."

Moscow did not immediately comment on the attacks.

Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said the strikes hit two thermal power stations in Ukraine's western regions and core elements of the Ukrainian electricity distribution system - substations and key electricity distribution lines.

"Russian criminals carried out another massive attack on Ukraine's energy facilities," Shmyhal said on the Telegram app. "Energy workers are ready to start repair works as soon as the security situation allows."

The strikes were launched as temperatures began to drop and are forecast to fall to minus 14 degrees Celsius (7 degrees Fahrenheit) in the coming days.

The new Russian attacks on the energy system also come just days after the latest round of the U.S.-brokered talks between Ukraine and Russia on how to end the war.