KYIV — Russia launched a mass overnight attack on Ukraine's energy grid, forcing emergency power cuts across several regions, the energy ministry said on Saturday. The strikes hit facilities in and around Kyiv, Kharkiv and Poltava.

Ukraine's air force reported that Russia fired dozens of Shahed-type drones alongside cruise and ballistic missiles. The national grid operator Ukrenergo imposed emergency shutdowns to protect the system after substations and generation sites sustained damage.

The assault extends a campaign Russia has waged through October to cripple Ukraine's power supply before winter. Earlier in the week, Moscow carried out some of its heaviest strikes of the season on Kyiv, leaving parts of the capital without electricity and water, according to city authorities.

President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attacks and renewed appeals to Western partners for additional air defence systems. The strikes came as European Union leaders debated using frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine's reconstruction and energy repairs.

Energy Minister German Galushchenko said the damage reflected Russia's strategy. "The enemy is again trying to leave Ukrainians in the cold and dark," he said. "Our crews are working to restore supply as quickly as conditions allow."