Russia carried out a missile and drone attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region on Sept. 30, damaging energy infrastructure and civilian property, according to statements from Russian and Ukrainian officials. Fires were reported in several districts of the capital, while air raid alerts and explosions continued through the night.

The reports gave differing accounts of the casualties. Arab News reported at least four people killed in and around Kyiv, including a child found under the rubble of a destroyed residential building. Enikos, citing Ukrainian officials, reported that a child had died and that at least five people had been injured. Fakti, citing Ukrainian authorities, reported two injured people and said there were no confirmed deaths from the Sept. 30 strike at the time of its latest update.

Damage across the capital

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said fires broke out in the Sviatoshynskyi, Obolonskyi and Holosiivskyi districts. The damage included residential buildings, businesses, warehouses, vehicles and other infrastructure. One injured woman was taken to hospital, according to the reports.

Russia’s Defense Ministry described the operation as a “massive missile and drone strike” aimed at power infrastructure in Kyiv and the surrounding region. Ukrainian reports said ballistic missiles were directed toward the capital. Fakti said the ballistic threat was announced at 2:44 a.m. local time and that alerts were later issued in Kyiv and several regions.

Pressure on the energy system

Ukraine’s main energy provider, DTEK, said damage to the grid affected about 8,000 households. Engineers restored electricity, although the company described the night as difficult for the capital. Sergiy Isachenko, chief executive of the operator of the Trypillia thermal power plant, said generating equipment there had also been damaged.

Prime Minister Sergiy Koretsky said local authorities should check backup power systems for critical facilities and complete their installation and connection as quickly as possible. Ukraine’s weather service forecast the first overnight frosts in many parts of the country from Thursday.

Officials warn of a wider winter campaign

Kyiv said the attack could mark the opening of a campaign intended to disrupt heating and electricity as temperatures fall. Koretsky said Russia had been striking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure almost daily since the summer, but called this the first attack of such scale since the end of the previous heating season.

Arab News reported that Ukraine was increasingly using and encountering newer jet-powered drones, which Ukrainian officials say move faster and are more difficult to intercept than traditional models based on Iranian Shahed drones. The casualty figures and the final extent of the damage remained subject to further assessment.