Zelensky warns Ukraine faces winter with no working thermal plants after Russian strikes

Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Saturday that Ukraine is heading into winter with virtually no functioning thermal power plants after overnight Russian missile and drone strikes killed four people in the Kyiv region, among them a three-year-old boy. Speaking in Belgrade alongside Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, the Ukrainian leader said combined attacks on the capital and frontline communities had claimed 13 lives in the past 24 hours.

"Russian missiles are aimed precisely at making the lives of Ukrainians unbearable," Zelensky told reporters during his first official visit to the Serbian capital. He stressed that thermal plants are essential complements to the nuclear generation that also feeds the grid, and their loss leaves the energy system dangerously exposed as temperatures drop.

Intensifying air war

More than four years after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion, both sides are escalating long-range strikes. Russia has increased salvos of ballistic missiles against Kyiv in recent months, weapons that are difficult to intercept with existing defences. Ukraine has responded with record drone attacks on Russian territory. Zelensky renewed his appeal for more US-made Patriot interceptors and urged tougher sanctions to choke off the flow of missile components reaching Russia from "almost every continent, including from our close partners".

These components arrive, and then missiles strike people, killing children, civilians and soldiers.

Serbia's balancing act

Serbia remains the only European country besides Belarus not to impose sanctions on Russia, a long-standing ally. Vucic said his government's policy had not changed after the talks, though he reiterated support for Ukraine's territorial integrity. Belgrade continues to supply non-military aid to Kyiv but has avoided signing a formal declaration of backing in the war. The Kremlin has accused Serbian firms of selling munitions to Ukraine, a charge Vucic has repeatedly denied.

Civilian toll mounts

The overnight barrage prompted air-raid alerts across the capital. An AFP correspondent counted roughly a dozen explosions. Zelensky said a double-tap strike on a village outside Kyiv killed the toddler and injured his parents, his 15-year-old brother and a neighbour who came to help. Dozens more were wounded in shelling along the front line.

With winter approaching and the thermal fleet largely offline, Ukraine's energy operators are racing to repair what they can and import electricity from neighbours. The next few weeks will test whether air-defence stocks can hold the line long enough for repairs to make a difference.