Ukraine says it had no information about the deal, as parts of Kyiv lose power and water and a Kharkiv thermal plant is struck.
Attacks on Ukraine’s power grid continued on Sunday, October 11, despite an energy ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump, according to Ukrainian officials. Russian strikes left parts of Kyiv without electricity and with weak water supply. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia also hit the CHP 5 thermal power plant in Kharkiv that evening.
Energy Ceasefire Announced Without Details
ABC News reported that Trump said Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an energy ceasefire that took effect immediately, but gave no terms. His post warned both sides: “Do not break it!”
The Kyiv Independent reported that a senior Ukrainian official said Kyiv had no information about such a deal. Axios reported that Zelensky said the announcement “was news for me.” Zelensky added that Ukraine would accept the ceasefire if Trump had agreed it with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to Axios, the announcement came a day after Trump said Ukraine should replace Zelensky. Zelensky had said on ABC’s “This Week” that Ukraine would stop striking Russian refineries if Russia stopped attacking Ukrainian energy sites.
Kharkiv Power Plant Struck After the Announcement
The Kyiv Independent reported that Zelensky said Russia struck CHP 5 in Kharkiv, and that Ukraine’s Presidential Office confirmed the attack came after Trump’s post. Euromaidan Press described the facility as Kharkiv’s second largest power plant and said it was hit in the evening, hours after the announcement.
The reports reviewed gave no details on the damage to the plant. The Kyiv Independent also cited Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Syniehubov as saying six people were injured in the region over the past day.
Kyiv Blackout and Water Disruption
Ukrinform reported that national grid operator Ukrenergo said an energy facility in Kyiv was attacked during the day, causing widespread outages in several districts. DTEK said emergency cuts affected parts of the Obolonskyi, Podilskyi, Shevchenkivskyi and Desnianskyi districts. Ukrenergo said crews were restoring supply through backup schemes and asked residents with power to limit use of high power appliances.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a high voltage line was damaged, lowering water pressure on both banks of the Dnipro. UA News reported that water was temporarily suspended in the Solomianskyi, Holosiivskyi, Shevchenkivskyi and Sviatoshynskyi districts.
The Kyiv Independent reported that Klitschko warned in the afternoon: “The enemy continues to attack energy infrastructure.” It said this came hours before Trump’s announcement. The newspaper added that attacks on October 8 had plunged the capital into near total darkness and halted the metro.
Has Russia Agreed to the Energy Ceasefire?
ABC News reported that neither Moscow nor Kyiv immediately commented on the agreement Trump described. AFP reported that Russia did not immediately confirm it. None of the reports reviewed contained a Kremlin response after the Kharkiv strike.
A similar claim by Trump in September had a mixed reception. The dpa agency reported that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the idea “a very good idea overall” but said Russia must also be able to export oil freely. Meduza, citing the Financial Times, reported that Moscow had not agreed to any deal.
Weekly Toll on Ukraine’s Power Grid
According to the Kyiv Independent and Euromaidan Press, Zelensky said Russia carried out more than 200 strikes on Ukrainian power generation and transmission over the past week, plus 17 on gas and oil sites. He said the attacks killed more than 150 people and wounded more than 700. The Kyiv Independent also reported his figures for the week of about 1,450 aerial bombs, 75 missiles and more than 1,640 attack drones.
International Reaction to the Energy Ceasefire
AFP reported that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen backed Zelensky’s call for a ceasefire protecting energy infrastructure. French President Emmanuel Macron said Paris supports “a real energy ceasefire” and accused Russia of intensifying strikes. AFP said Zelensky had spoken with the leaders of Canada, Finland and NATO earlier in the day.