Russia Strikes Kharkiv Power Plant Amid Energy Ceasefire Announced

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Russian forces struck Kharkiv’s Thermal Power Plant No. 5 on Saturday, hours after US President Donald Trump announced an immediate 'energy ceasefire' between Russia and Ukraine.

In his nightly address on October 11, Zelenskyy stated that Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure had continued throughout the day, including strikes on a power plant in Kyiv and attacks on energy facilities in the Kharkiv region.

Trump claimed Russia and Ukraine had agreed to halt attacks on energy infrastructure, but neither Kyiv nor Moscow confirmed a formal agreement. The terms and implementation of the proposed truce remained unclear.

Zelenskyy said Russia had carried out more than 200 strikes on Ukraine’s power generation and transmission infrastructure in the preceding week, along with 17 attacks on gas and oil facilities. He reported over 150 people had been killed and more than 700 injured during the same period.

Zelenskyy also mentioned a Russian Shahed drone struck a power plant in Kyiv shortly before his conversation with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, causing power outages in several districts.

Kharkiv’s Thermal Power Plant No. 5, also known as CHP-5, is a major heat-and-power facility. The city’s energy infrastructure has been targeted repeatedly during the war, with the extent of the latest damage not immediately clear.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine welcomed the energy ceasefire announced by Trump and was prepared to stop attacking Russian energy infrastructure if Moscow halted its strikes on Ukrainian facilities. He emphasized the arrangement would need practical implementation to be effective.