A Russian ballistic missile struck a combined heat and power plant in Kyiv on Tuesday evening without Ukraine receiving advance warning from its Western partners, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed.
Ukraine depends heavily on Western intelligence, particularly from the United States, to detect incoming Russian attacks and identify targets for its own operations.
The capital, home to approximately three million residents, has faced intensifying assaults from Russian drones and missiles, with energy infrastructure remaining a primary objective.
“A Russian ballistic missile attack on Kyiv. Once again, no early warning from our partners,” Zelensky wrote on Facebook.
“The main target was energy infrastructure, specifically CHP-4. Unfortunately, it was hit.”
AFP journalists in the Ukrainian capital reported hearing multiple explosions.
Zelensky stated that Ukrainian systems detected the missiles only as they approached the city.
“This is absolutely unjust: when they are destroying our infrastructure, and Ukraine is not even receiving early warnings about ballistic missile launches,” he added.
At least two people were killed in the same attack, which also struck a residential building in the Desnianskyi district, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Approximately 20 others sustained injuries.
Overnight from Monday into Tuesday, Kyiv residents heard explosions from Russian strikes before air-raid sirens sounded, an occurrence that has been rare until recently.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian officials attributed the delayed alerts to the Russian military’s use of difficult-to-detect missiles or potential technical issues.
U.S. President Donald Trump created confusion on Sunday with a surprise “energy ceasefire” announcement on his Truth Social platform, claiming Russia and Ukraine had agreed to halt their punishing long-range strikes on power plants and oil refineries.
Trump has repeatedly criticized Zelensky for strikes on Russian oil refineries and suggested on Saturday that it was “time for Ukraine to get a new president.”
