At least three people, including a child, were killed in a barrage of missile and drone fire across Ukraine, officials said.
As U.S.-led talks to end the nearly four-year civil war dragged on, Russia launched missile and drone attacks across Ukraine, killing at least three people and causing emergency power outages.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a social media post that a four-year-old child from the Zhytomyr region was among those killed in the Russian attack, which took place “during negotiations aimed at ending this war.”
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“This Russian attack sends a very clear signal about Russia’s priorities,” he said, urging Ukraine’s Western partners to step up pressure on Russia.
Zelensky added that a woman from the Kiev region and another person from the Khmelnytsky region were also killed.
Russia has denied targeting civilians since invading Ukraine in February 2022, but there was no immediate comment.
Ukraine’s electricity company Ukrenergo announced on Tuesday that it would impose an “emergency power outage” across the country, where winter temperatures are currently below freezing, after “large-scale missile and drone attacks” caused fires in several regions.
Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko said energy infrastructure in Ukraine’s western region suffered the most damage in the night attack, which included dozens of missiles and more than 600 drones.
As of 6:20 a.m. Japan time, the country’s air force reported that almost all of Ukraine was under air raid warnings as Russia intensified its winter attacks to disrupt power and heating, as well as strain logistics and the economy.
Kiev’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said debris fell near homes in the Svyatoshinsky district, damaging windows. Emergency services said a Russian attack caused a fire in the Black Sea city of Odesa, but no one was injured.
As a result of Tuesday’s attack, NATO member Poland said it and allied aircraft were dispatched to protect its airspace after Russian attacks hit areas near Ukraine’s western border.
“These measures are precautionary in nature and are aimed at securing and protecting the airspace,” the Polish Operational Command said in a statement.
Poland scrambled jets after a massive barrage of Russian missiles and drones hit western Ukraine, as attacks near the border were deemed to pose an increased risk.
No breakthrough
The attack followed two phases of negotiations in the US city of Miami, where US President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met separately with Ukrainian and Russian delegations.
President Zelenskyy said on Monday that a revised draft of the US ceasefire proposal looked “quite solid at this stage.” “There are some things that we are probably not ready for, and I’m sure there are things that the Russian side is not ready for,” he said.
He claimed that “almost 90 percent” of Ukraine’s demands were incorporated into the draft agreement and hinted at a 20-point plan.
However, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said “progress is slow,” state media reported.
Witkoff praised the “productive and constructive” discussions with both sides, but there was no sign of an end to the situation.
Meanwhile, Ukraine continues its campaign to thwart Russia’s war effort and instill fear behind the front lines, where outnumbered Ukrainian forces struggle to hold off Russia’s larger forces.
On Monday, Ukrainian officials said their military had struck an oil terminal, a pipeline, two parked jets and two ships in a series of attacks inside Russian territory.
That day, a car bomb killed a senior Russian general south of Moscow. Russian investigators said they suspected the attack was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” Ukraine has not commented on the incident.
