Four people were killed in overnight Russian strikes on Ukraine, Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi said on Wednesday, Reuters reported from Kyiv. The strikes hit energy facilities in the Kyiv, Volyn, Odesa and Mykolaiv regions, Koretskyi said on the Telegram messaging app.

Cars caught fire in Kyiv after a Russian drone strike hit a residential area, according to reporting based on Ukraine's State Emergency Service, which released images of the aftermath. The full extent of the damage to the energy facilities was not immediately available, and the casualty figures are those reported by Ukrainian officials.

Ukraine is expecting another winter assault on power and heating facilities, AFP reported, after last year entire cities were plunged into darkness and cold for days or weeks. Russia acknowledged a massive overnight assault, AFP said, claiming it had hit a data centre in the capital supporting Ukraine's armed forces, power plants in the Kyiv region, an industrial complex in the Odesa region and port infrastructure in Izmail — claims attributed to the Russian side and not independently verified in this reporting.

Ukraine's air force said Moscow had deployed anti-ship and ballistic missiles and 188 drones, with five missiles and 155 drones intercepted, according to AFP's reporting of Ukrainian figures. Power company DTEK did not detail damage in Kyiv but said workers had restored supply to 8,000 households, AFP reported.

The strikes come as US-led diplomatic efforts continue, with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo on Tuesday, Reuters reported separately. For Punjabi and Indian families with relatives studying or working in Ukraine and Europe, renewed attacks on power and heating ahead of winter raise the same worries as in previous winters: blackouts, heating cuts and disrupted travel. Sources: Reuters — Four killed in Russian strikes on Ukraine, prime minister says (Kyiv, Oct 21, 2026); AFP via Virgin Radio Dubai — Russia hits power plants, kills four, leaves Kyiv under smoke (Oct 21, 2026); Arab News via Scoop — Four killed in Ukraine in latest Russian strikes (Oct 21, 2026).