Massive Russian Strikes Rock Ukraine, 3 Killed
Russia launches a massive Ukraine missile and drone attack, killing three including a child. Energy infrastructure hit amid rejected Christmas truce talks.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched a "massive" attack on several Ukrainian cities on Monday night, a day after warning that attacks could occur during the Christmas period.
According to Ukrainian officials, at least three people were killed, including a four-year-old child, while energy infrastructure was also targeted, leaving several areas without power.
Ukraine said Russia launched more than 600 drones and 30 missiles.
Zelenskyy said that before Christmas, "people just want to be with their families, at home and safe," and added that these attacks, despite ongoing peace talks, sent "a very clear signal about Russia's priorities."
He further stated: "Putin still cannot accept that he has to stop the killings. And this means that the world is not putting enough pressure on Russia."
Zelenskyy had previously warned that it was in the Kremlin's "nature" to "launch massive attacks" during the holidays.
Confirming the death of a child in the central Zhytomyr region, local official Vitaliy Bunechko said: "He was taken to the hospital, doctors tried to save his life but ultimately could not." He added that five other people were injured in the attack.
Meanwhile, a 76-year-old woman was killed and three people were injured when a house was hit in the Kyiv region, according to Ukraine's State Emergency Service.
A 72-year-old man was killed in an attack in Khmelnytskyi in western Ukraine, regional administration head Serhiy Tyurin said.
Polish fighter jets were scrambled in response to missiles and drones targeting western Ukraine.
According to the Russian state news agency TASS, the Russian Defense Ministry said it had targeted energy facilities and other transport infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Ukraine reportedly attacked a petrochemical plant in Stavropol, southern Russia. Videos shared online by Russian media channels showed large flames rising from the direction of the plant.
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The regional governor, Vladimir Vladimirov, said a Ukrainian drone had attacked the plant, causing a fire. No casualties were reported, and there was no damage to residential buildings.
With temperatures expected to drop to -7C on Wednesday, Ukraine's energy operator warned of emergency power cuts "in all regions" and urged people to use energy "sparingly." Acting Energy Minister Artem Nekrasov said it was the ninth major attack on Ukraine's energy system this year, and that supplies had been "almost completely" cut off in the Rivne, Ternopil, and Khmelnytskyi regions.
In recent days, the southern port city of Odesa has been a primary target of Russian attacks, following threats by Vladimir Putin to cut off Ukraine's access to the Black Sea.
The Russian president made the threat in response to Ukrainian drone attacks on tankers belonging to Russia's "shadow fleet," vessels used to transport goods, including oil, that are subject to Western sanctions.
Tuesday morning's attack shattered a period of relative calm in the capital Kyiv, where Shahed drones had not been seen flying low overhead for weeks.
In the Ukrainian capital, many suspect the latest attack is linked to the killing of a top Russian general in a car bomb explosion in Moscow on Monday.
Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the armed forces' operational training department, was killed in the blast, which Russia blamed on Ukraine. Kyiv has not commented on the incident.
It also comes after the latest round of US-led diplomatic talks in Miami, where envoys from Washington and Kyiv are working on detailed proposals to end the war. According to Zelenskyy, the United States had proposed a ceasefire over Christmas, but Russia rejected the idea.
Zelenskyy said he received a progress report on the negotiations Tuesday morning, and that "several draft documents have now been prepared," including a framework for ending the war, future security guarantees for Ukraine, and the country's post-war recovery.
Putin was also scheduled to be briefed on the latest discussions with Washington on Tuesday by his envoy, Kirill Dmitriev.
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