Russia has launched a second major wave of drone and missile attacks on Ukraine in just four days, targeting critical energy infrastructure and strategic areas, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday, in what appears to be a clear rebuff of U.S.-led peace initiatives as the war nears its fourth year.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia fired nearly 300 drones, 18 ballistic missiles and seven cruise missiles overnight at targets across eight regions of the country. The assault once again focused on the power grid, leaving hundreds of thousands of households without electricity amid freezing winter conditions.
In the northeastern Kharkiv region, a strike on a mail depot killed four people and wounded at least 10 others, according to local authorities. In the capital, Kyiv, residents endured temperatures as low as minus 12 degrees Celsius, with icy streets and the constant hum of generators underscoring the scale of the disruption.
The southern port city of Odesa was also hit, with six people wounded. Regional military administrator Oleh Kiper said the strikes damaged energy facilities, a hospital, a kindergarten, an educational institution and several residential buildings.
The latest bombardment follows a large-scale Russian attack just four days earlier, when Moscow deployed hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles. That assault marked only the second time Russia has used a new hypersonic missile during the war, striking western Ukraine in what analysts described as a warning to Kyiv’s NATO allies that Moscow has no intention of backing down.
On Monday, the United States accused Russia of what it called a “dangerous and inexplicable escalation” at a time when the Trump administration says it is pushing for peace negotiations. Speaking at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, U.S. Deputy Ambassador Tammy Bruce condemned Russia’s intensifying attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure and decried the “staggering number of casualties” in the conflict.
Since the start of its full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s power, water and heating systems during winter months, a strategy Ukrainian officials describe as “weaponizing winter” to erode public morale and resistance.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine is urgently counting on faster deliveries of already-promised air defence systems from the United States and Europe, as well as new pledges of military aid, to help counter Russia’s latest onslaught.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed its air defences shot down 11 Ukrainian drones overnight. Seven were reportedly intercepted over the Rostov region. Regional Governor Yuri Slyusar confirmed an attack on the coastal city of Taganrog, about 40 kilometres from the Ukrainian border.
Ukraine’s military said domestically produced drones struck a drone manufacturing facility in Taganrog. According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Atlant Aero plant — which designs and manufactures Molniya drones and components for Orion unmanned aerial vehicles — was hit, triggering explosions and a fire that damaged production buildings.
As fighting intensifies on both sides, the latest exchanges underscore the growing challenge facing diplomatic efforts to bring an end to Europe’s deadliest conflict in decades.
About The Author
