Russia Launches Overnight Attacks on Ukrainian Cities, Killing Three

Russia launched overnight attacks on several Ukrainian cities, killing at least three people and damaging energy infrastructure. Most of the 635 drones and 38 missiles were intercepted. Zelensky condemned the strikes, linking them to recent peace talks and the killing of a Russian general. Ukraine retaliated by striking a petrochemical plant in southern Russia, while emergency power shutdowns were ordered in affected regions.

Russia carried out a large-scale overnight attack on multiple Ukrainian cities, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said, just a day after warning that strikes could occur over the Christmas period. The attacks resulted in at least three fatalities, including a four-year-old child, and caused damage to energy infrastructure, leaving several regions without electricity.
Ukraine's air force reported that Russia launched 635 drones and 38 missiles, successfully intercepting 621 of them. Despite the interceptions, the strikes inflicted casualties and disrupted power supply in key regions. President Zelensky highlighted that the attacks sent “an extremely clear signal about Russia’s priorities,” noting that people “simply want to be with their families, at home, and safe” during the festive season. He also stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin “still cannot accept that he must stop killing,” suggesting that the world is not applying sufficient pressure on Russia to end the attacks.
Zelensky had previously warned that it is in the Kremlin’s “nature” to carry out massive strikes during holiday periods. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Moscow currently occupies approximately 20 percent of Ukrainian territory.
Local authorities in the central Zhytomyr region confirmed the death of a child during the attack. Regional head Vitaly Bunechko said the child was taken to hospital and that doctors “fought for the child’s life but could not save them in the end.” Five others were injured in the strike. Meanwhile, a 76-year-old woman was killed and three people injured when a house in the Kyiv region was struck, according to Ukraine’s state emergencies service. In Khmelnytskyy, western Ukraine, a 72-year-old was killed in another strike, regional administration head Serhiy Tyurin reported.
Polish fighter jets were scrambled in response to the missile and drone attacks targeting western Ukraine. The Russian Defence Ministry claimed that its strikes targeted Ukrainian military-industrial complex plants and supporting energy facilities, asserting that all designated targets were successfully hit.
In retaliation, Ukraine reportedly struck a petrochemical plant in Stavropol, southern Russia. Videos shared by Russian media showed large flames rising from the plant, with the region’s governor, Vladimir Vladimirov, confirming that a Ukrainian drone caused the fire. No casualties were reported, and nearby residential buildings were unharmed.
Ukraine’s energy operator warned of emergency power shutdowns across all regions, urging residents to use electricity sparingly, as temperatures are expected to drop as low as minus seven degrees Celsius. Acting energy minister Artem Nekrasov said this was the ninth large attack on Ukraine’s energy system this year, with supply in the Rivne, Ternopil, and Khmelnytsky regions “almost completely” lost. Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Merezhko told the BBC World Service that some areas could remain without power “for days.”
The main focus of recent Russian attacks has been the southern port city of Odesa, following threats by President Putin to cut Ukraine off from the Black Sea. The Russian president made these threats in response to Ukrainian drone attacks on tankers belonging to Russia’s “shadow fleet,” which transport goods, including oil, under Western sanctions.
In Kyiv, many speculate that the overnight attacks are linked to Monday’s killing of a top Russian general in Moscow. Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov, head of the armed forces’ operational training department, died in a car bomb explosion, which Russia has blamed on Ukraine. Kyiv has not officially commented.
The attacks also coincided with the latest round of US-led diplomatic talks in Miami, where representatives from Washington and Kyiv have been drafting detailed proposals to end the conflict. President Zelensky stated that the United States proposed a Christmas truce, which Russia rejected. Zelensky received a progress report on the talks, noting that “several draft documents have now been prepared,” including a basic framework to end the war, future security guarantees for Ukraine, and plans for post-war recovery. Russian President Putin was also briefed by his envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, on the latest discussions with Washington.