Russia strikes Kharkiv power plant after Trump announces energy ceasefire

By Ahmet Taş | Wise News Press

KHARKIV, Ukraine — Russia struck the CHP-5 energy facility in Kharkiv on Sunday, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said Moscow and Kyiv had agreed to halt attacks on energy infrastructure, Ukrainian officials said.

The timing of the October 11 attack prompted Ukraine to accuse Russia of immediately violating the announced energy ceasefire, although no detailed joint agreement or independent monitoring mechanism had been made public.

Kharkiv CHP-5 comes under attack

Russian forces attacked energy infrastructure in the Kharkiv region during the second half of Sunday, according to Deutsche Welle’s Ukrainian service and statements from senior Ukrainian officials.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha identified the target as Kharkiv CHP-5, a combined heat and power facility serving Ukraine’s second-largest city and the surrounding area.

Initial official statements did not specify the weapon used in the attack. They also provided no detailed assessment of the damage, the effect on electricity or heating supplies, or whether the strike caused casualties.

Ukrainian officials emphasized that the attack took place several hours after Trump announced the beginning of an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Kyiv described the timing as evidence that Moscow had breached the arrangement shortly after it was announced.

Russia had not publicly addressed the reported strike on Kharkiv CHP-5 in the statements cited by the Ukrainian and international media reports available at the time of publication.

Trump announces an energy ceasefire

Trump announced the arrangement in a post on his Truth Social account, saying Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure with immediate effect.

“From this moment, an energy ceasefire is in effect in the war between Russia and Ukraine. Both sides agreed. Do not violate it.”

The U.S. president did not provide further details about the agreement’s duration, geographical scope or enforcement. His statement also did not explain which energy facilities would be protected or how alleged violations would be investigated.

Neither a jointly signed document nor a detailed implementation plan was released alongside Trump’s announcement. No information was provided about whether the arrangement covered oil refineries, power stations, electricity networks, gas facilities and other energy-related infrastructure inside both countries.

The absence of publicly available terms left questions about when the ceasefire formally began and whether the two sides shared the same understanding of its obligations.

Zelenskyy says Ukrainian forces received orders

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the country’s armed forces had received the necessary orders following Trump’s announcement.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine supported steps by its partners that could help stop attacks and advance efforts to end the war. He added that Kyiv was waiting for clear information about the discussions between the United States and Russia.

The Ukrainian president also said he expected Russian President Vladimir Putin to honor the commitment described by Trump. Ukraine was prepared to refrain from attacking Russian energy infrastructure if Moscow demonstrated the same willingness, according to Zelenskyy’s statement.

Sybiha later said Ukraine remained ready for a comprehensive energy ceasefire, provided that Russia stopped attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly warned that attacks on power generation and distribution facilities could cause widespread disruption, particularly as temperatures fall and demand for electricity and heating increases.

Kyiv reports a separate power station strike

Zelenskyy also reported that a Russian Shahed-type attack drone had struck a power station in Kyiv shortly before his conversation with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The attack caused power outages in several districts of the Ukrainian capital, according to the Ukrainian president. He said the later strikes on energy facilities in the Kharkiv region occurred after Trump’s ceasefire announcement.

The Ukrainian government presented the Kyiv and Kharkiv incidents as part of continuing Russian attacks on the country’s energy system. Officials did not provide a complete assessment of the damage in their initial statements.

Energy infrastructure has remained a major focus of the war, with power stations, transmission networks and fuel facilities affected by repeated attacks. Disruption to these systems can affect electricity, heating, water supplies, transport and other essential public services.

Ukraine has also carried out long-range attacks on Russian oil refineries and other energy-related facilities during the war. The proposed energy ceasefire was intended to stop such attacks by both sides rather than establish a general ceasefire along the front line.

Ukraine briefs the EU and Germany

Zelenskyy informed von der Leyen about the reported attacks during their telephone conversation. He said the strike on the Kyiv power station occurred shortly before the call and that energy facilities in the Kharkiv region were targeted later.

Von der Leyen expressed support for a ceasefire that would protect energy infrastructure in Ukraine and Russia, as well as global food supplies affected by the wider conflict.

Sybiha separately discussed the Kharkiv CHP-5 attack with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. The Ukrainian foreign minister said he had informed his German counterpart that Russia had struck the facility only hours after the ceasefire announcement.

Sybiha described the incident as an immediate violation of the announced arrangement. He also discussed European measures intended to increase pressure on Russia and continued international support for Ukraine.

The diplomatic contacts placed the attack on the agenda of Ukraine’s discussions with both the European Union and Germany. Ukrainian officials argued that international support remained necessary to protect the country’s energy system and civilian population.

Ceasefire terms and monitoring remain unclear

Trump’s announcement raised expectations that attacks on energy infrastructure could stop, but the lack of published terms complicated efforts to assess compliance.

It remained unclear which facilities were covered, when the arrangement formally entered into force and whether any neutral organization would monitor alleged violations. The available statements also did not identify a process for reporting incidents or resolving disputes between the two sides.

Ukraine said it had issued the required military orders and was ready to implement a reciprocal halt to energy attacks. Kyiv maintained, however, that Russia would also need to stop targeting Ukrainian facilities for the arrangement to become effective.

The Kharkiv attack therefore became an early test of the ceasefire announced by Trump. Whether the arrangement takes hold will depend on both sides following clearly defined terms and on the establishment of a credible process for verifying reported violations.

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