Russia pounds Ukraine in a nationwide missile assault; Zelenskiy’s hometown among the hardest hit | Watch

80,000 homes lose power, apartment blocks damaged: Russia escalates Ukraine strikes

• Russia launched airstrikes across Ukraine, hitting energy and residential sites
• Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskiy's hometown, suffered power and heating outages
• Attacks coincide with Kyiv-Washington postwar security talks

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Russia launched a widespread air attack across Ukraine late Thursday, striking energy infrastructure and residential buildings in multiple regions, killing at least one person and injuring dozens as winter temperatures dropped.

Two Russian ballistic missiles hit apartment buildings in Kryvyi Rih, killing one person and wounding 24 others, including six children, local authorities said.

BREAKING Ukrainian channels report Russian strikes on targets in western Ukraine near the Polish border, allegedly using Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missiles. Claims suggest the missiles covered ~1,500 km in 15 minutes, putting Lviv ~10–15 min, Warsaw ~15–17 min, Berlin ~20–25… pic.twitter.com/zc85yRc4za

— Nexus Intel (@Nexus_Intel360) January 8, 2026

Zelenskiy’s hometown among the hardest hit

Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, was among the cities hit. Regional governor Oleksandr Vilkul said almost 80,000 households lost power and about 1,400 apartment buildings were left without heating.

Russia : Reports claim Russia launched 6 Oreshnik hypersonic missiles toward the city of Lviv in western Ukraine a short time ago . Putin is sending a message to Europe. pic.twitter.com/Oa7ssnGshU — Kbar57 (@kbar57) January 8, 2026

With temperatures forecast to fall to minus 5 degrees Celsius on Friday, Vilkul urged residents to store water and charge electronic devices.

Explosions reported from Kyiv to western Ukraine

Explosions were also reported in Kyiv and in the western Lviv region. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least three apartment buildings in the capital were damaged by Russian drones.

Local authorities in Lviv said Russia targeted “critical infrastructure,” underscoring the focus on energy assets.

Energy system under sustained pressure

The latest strikes came a day after Russian attacks on energy facilities left hundreds of thousands without power and heating in Dnipro, Ukraine’s fourth-largest city, and surrounding areas.

Ukraine’s energy grid has faced repeated waves of attacks since Russia’s full-scale invasion, with winter strikes aimed at amplifying civilian hardship by disrupting electricity and district heating.

Attacks coincide with diplomatic push

The escalation comes nearly four years after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion, and as Kyiv intensifies talks with Washington on ending the war.

Zelenskiy said Thursday that security guarantees for postwar Ukraine are “essentially ready” to be finalised with President Donald Trump. He has said he expects to meet Trump soon to discuss next steps.