Ask Onix
Massive Russian attack kills three, disrupts power
Ukraine faced a large-scale aerial assault overnight, resulting in at least three fatalities, including a four-year-old child, as Russian forces targeted energy infrastructure across multiple regions, Ukrainian officials reported early Tuesday.
Scale of the assault
Ukraine's air force stated that Russia launched 635 drones and 38 missiles during the attack. Ukrainian defenses intercepted 621 of the incoming projectiles, but the remaining strikes caused significant damage. Power outages were reported in several areas, with emergency shutdowns expected as temperatures drop to -7°C on Wednesday.
Casualties and regional impact
In the central Zhytomyr region, a four-year-old child died after being rushed to hospital, where doctors were unable to save the child's life, according to regional head Vitaliy Bunechko. Five others were injured in the same strike.
In the Kyiv region, a 76-year-old woman was killed when her home was hit, while three others sustained injuries, Ukraine's state emergencies service confirmed. Meanwhile, a 72-year-old resident of Khmelnytskyy in western Ukraine died in a separate attack, as reported by regional administration head Serhiy Tyurin.
Russia's stated targets and Ukraine's response
The Russian defense ministry claimed the strikes focused on Ukrainian military-industrial sites and energy facilities, asserting that all intended targets were successfully hit. However, Ukrainian officials described the attacks as indiscriminate, affecting civilian areas and critical infrastructure.
Polish fighter jets were scrambled in response to missiles and drones approaching western Ukraine, highlighting the regional tensions sparked by the assault.
Energy crisis deepens as winter sets in
Ukraine's energy operator warned of emergency power cuts across all regions, urging citizens to conserve electricity. Acting Energy Minister Artem Nekrasov revealed that this was the ninth major attack on Ukraine's energy system this year, with supply in Rivne, Ternopil, and Khmelnytskyy regions nearly completely lost.
Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Merezhko told the BBC World Service that some areas could face prolonged blackouts, potentially lasting for days.
Escalation amid diplomatic efforts
The strikes occurred as diplomatic talks led by the U.S. continued in Miami, where envoys from Washington and Kyiv drafted proposals to end the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said several documents, including a framework for peace and post-war security guarantees, were being prepared. However, he noted that Russia had rejected a proposed Christmas truce.
"People simply want to be with their families, at home, and safe. These strikes send an extremely clear signal about Russia's priorities," Zelensky said, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin "still cannot accept that he must stop killing."
Zelensky also suggested that global pressure on Russia was insufficient to deter further aggression.
Retaliatory strikes and broader tensions
Ukraine reportedly targeted a petrochemical plant in Russia's Stavropol region, according to videos shared by Russian media showing large flames at the site. The region's governor, Vladimir Vladimirov, confirmed a Ukrainian drone strike caused the fire, though no casualties or damage to residential buildings were reported.
The overnight assault in Ukraine followed the killing of a top Russian general in Moscow on Monday. Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the armed forces' operational training department, died in a car bombing that Russia blamed on Ukraine. Kyiv has not commented on the incident.
Recent Russian attacks have also focused on the southern port city of Odesa, a response to what Putin described as Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian tankers operating under Western sanctions. The Russian president threatened to cut off Ukraine's access to the Black Sea in retaliation.
