Russian Strikes Hit Energy Infrastructure in Kharkiv, US Firm in Dnipro

Russia launched five missile strikes on Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, on Monday, damaging energy infrastructure, and also hit a facility owned by US agricultural producer Bunge in the southeastern city of Dnipro, Ukrainian officials said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the attack on the Bunge enterprise — which caused a leak of sunflower oil — showed that Russian forces were deliberately targeting US businesses. President Vladimir Putin, he said, was showing “complete disregard” for US-led efforts to end the nearly four-year-old war.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said the strikes were aimed at crippling daily life. “This is not just an attack on facilities. It is an attack on heating, water and people’s normal lives. They are trying to break us with fear and darkness,” he said, without specifying the exact targets hit.

The regional prosecutors’ office in Kharkiv said at least one civilian was injured.

In Dnipro, Mayor Borys Filatov said the strike on the Bunge facility caused a spill of about 300 metric tons of sunflower oil. Municipal workers were spreading sand and gravel to contain the spill, he said, adding that a major riverside road would be closed for two to three days.

Bunge spokesperson Christi Dixon said the company was assessing damage at the plant and working with local authorities to mitigate the impact. No injuries were reported at the facility, she said, adding that the company was prioritising employee safety and restoring operations.

‘Targeting American businesses’

Writing on X, Sybiha said the strike on the Dnipro facility was deliberate, noting that Russian forces had attempted to hit it multiple times. “Russia has been targeting American businesses in Ukraine systematically,” he said.

The attacks, Sybiha added, underscored Putin’s “complete disregard for peace efforts led by President Donald Trump” and highlighted the urgency of advancing negotiations.

There was no immediate comment from Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met Trump in Florida late last month to discuss ending the war, and more than 30 leaders are due to attend a summit on Ukraine in Paris on Tuesday.

Energy attacks

Kharkiv, a city of more than one million people near the Russian border, has been repeatedly targeted. Temperatures hovered around minus 3 degrees Celsius (27°F) on Monday and are expected to fall overnight. Prior to the latest strikes, residents were receiving electricity for an average of 14 to 16 hours a day, according to the local power supplier.

Since November, Russia has intensified attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and logistics networks, plunging entire regions into darkness. A major strike in late December left a third of Kyiv without heating, while Ukraine’s largest seaport, Odesa, was cut off from power for several days.

Russian forces have also hit heat-producing facilities in the northern Chernihiv region and in Kherson in southern Ukraine.