'Force Russia to peace': Zelenskyy says 100,000 stranded in freezing temperature after Russian strike

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday said that more than 100,000 people in the southern city of Mykolaiv have been left without heating in freezing temperatures after a Russian drone strike hit critical infrastructure.

Ukrainian officials confirmed that Russian drones targeted a local thermal power plant overnight, cutting off heating supplies to large parts of the city.

"This has nothing to do with the fighting on the frontline," Zelenskyy said in a social media statement, adding, "This is not the behaviour of those who truly want peace and negotiations."

The attack comes as Zelenskyy continues to urge Western leaders not to trust Moscow, amid rising tensions ahead of a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and former US President Donald Trump.

Repair teams are working to restore heating in Mykolaiv, which lies near the Black Sea, but the Ukrainian leader has called for a “strong” response from Western allies. “We need to force Russia to peace,” he said.

Ukraine’s prime minister Denys Shmyhal described the attack as a deliberate attempt to create a humanitarian crisis. "This was done deliberately to leave people without heat in sub-zero temperatures and create a humanitarian catastrophe," he said.

Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure throughout its three-year invasion, intensifying strikes on power plants and heating facilities during winter.