Ukraine has come under one of the heaviest aerial attacks of the year after Russia launched hundreds of drones and missiles overnight into Tuesday morning, striking key energy facilities just days ahead of renewed diplomatic talks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the international community to apply “maximum pressure” on Moscow, saying the attacks deliberately targeted critical infrastructure during the coldest period of winter.
According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia fired 71 missiles and 450 drones across the country overnight. Air defenses intercepted or neutralized 38 missiles and 412 drones while 27 missiles and 31 drones hit 27 different locations nationwide.
The Air Force said the barrage marked the largest single overnight attack of the year so far, and the highest number of munitions launched in one night since December 27. The number of missiles used was also the highest recorded since April 24, based on Air Force data reviewed by ABC News.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed responsibility for the strike, stating on Telegram that its forces had “carried out a massive strike” on “Ukraine’s military-industrial complex and energy facilities used in their interests, as well as places of storage and assembly of long-range unmanned aerial vehicles.”
Zelenskyy said regions including Sumy, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Dnipro, Odesa, and Vinnytsia were affected, with both residential buildings and energy facilities among the targets. At least nine people were confirmed injured.
“Taking advantage of the coldest days of winter to terrorize people is more important to Russia than resorting to diplomacy,” Zelenskyy said.
“This clearly demonstrates what is needed from partners and what can help. Timely delivery of missiles for air defense systems and protection of normal life is our priority. Without pressure on Russia, there will be no end to this war.”
He added:
“Right now, Moscow is choosing terror and escalation, and that is why maximum pressure is needed.”
Ukrainian Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said thermal power plants supplying parts of Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro were hit.
“The targets were not military. They were exclusively civilian,” Shmyhal wrote on Telegram.
DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company, said Russian strikes caused “significant” damage to its facilities, describing the attack as the ninth major assault on its thermal power stations since October 2025.
Emergency power outages were imposed in Kyiv’s Dnieper and Darnytsia districts, while additional damage was reported in Odesa.
Ukraine’s state energy operator Ukrenergo confirmed widespread outages across Kyiv, Kharkiv, Vinnytsia, and Odesa regions, citing the “massive” overnight strike.
The latest assault followed the expiration of a short pause in strikes on energy infrastructure, which both Russia and Ukraine had observed after a request from U.S. President Donald Trump. Russia said the pause ended on Sunday.
This winter, the fourth since Russia’s full-scale invasion has seen intensified attacks on Ukraine’s power grid, leading to prolonged blackouts for millions. Temperatures dropped as low as -14°F in some regions on Monday night.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Moscow of timing the attack deliberately.
He suggested on X that Russian President Vladimir Putin had “waited for the temperatures to drop and stockpiled drones and missiles to continue his genocidal attacks against the Ukrainian people.”
Zelenskyy echoed the claim, saying:
“The Russian army took advantage of the American proposal to pause the strikes for a short period, not to support diplomacy, but simply to stockpile missiles and wait for the coldest days of the year.”
The strikes came just before a new round of trilateral peace talks involving the United States, Ukraine, and Russia, scheduled to resume Wednesday in the United Arab Emirates.
“Every such strike by Russia confirms that the attitude in Moscow has not changed: they are still counting on war and the destruction of Ukraine, and they do not take diplomacy seriously,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Ukraine would adjust its negotiating approach accordingly.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte visited Kyiv on Tuesday, telling lawmakers that “important progress has been made” in talks, but added:
“But Russia continues to attack, as it did last night. This demonstrates their lack of seriousness about peace.”
The assault prompted NATO fighter jets to scramble in Poland, though Polish authorities confirmed no airspace violations. German fighter jets and Dutch air defense systems were placed on alert.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed it shot down at least 10 Ukrainian drones overnight. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces struck several targets in Russian-held territory, including a drone training and production site in occupied Zaporizhzhia, Russian troop concentrations in Belgorod, and an electronic warfare site in occupied Donetsk.
The renewed wave of attacks underscores the fragile state of diplomacy, even as talks aimed at ending the conflict move forward.
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