At least seven people including two children have been killed in a series of Russian drone and missile strikes across Ukraine. The attacks hit several regions overnight, leaving widespread destruction and renewed fears of escalation in the two-year-long conflict.
Officials in Kharkiv confirmed that a kindergarten was struck during the assault, marking one of the deadliest single attacks on a civilian site in recent weeks. Rescue teams worked through the night to pull survivors from the rubble as smoke billowed from the building.
In Kyiv, explosions echoed through the capital as air raid sirens blared for hours. Residents reported multiple waves of drones followed by ballistic missiles that targeted residential areas and energy infrastructure.
Ukraine’s emergency services said 27 people were injured across several regions, including multiple children who were rushed to hospitals for treatment. Power outages were reported in parts of Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro following strikes on key electrical facilities.
The attacks came just hours after US President Donald Trump announced that a planned summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest had been shelved. Trump said he did not want to hold what he described as a “wasted meeting” while tensions remained unresolved.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the latest strikes as evidence that Moscow continues to act with impunity. He said the international community had not placed enough pressure on Russia to end its full-scale invasion.
Zelensky accused Moscow of using the stalled summit as leverage, saying Russia intensified attacks whenever diplomatic talks slowed. He described the bombardment as another attempt to undermine Ukrainian morale.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that preparations for a Trump-Putin summit were still underway, contradicting Trump’s comments. Peskov said both sides desired the meeting but insisted that careful preparation was essential before setting a date.
He dismissed reports of a cancellation as “gossip and rumours,” maintaining that both leaders were still interested in dialogue. Russian officials have previously argued that the United States must take a more “realistic” approach to Ukraine’s territorial claims before meaningful talks can happen.
President Zelensky arrived in Norway on Wednesday for the start of a European trip aimed at rallying support for his country’s defense needs. The visit followed his meeting with Trump in Washington last Friday, where he failed to secure a commitment for long-range Tomahawk missiles.
Speaking in Oslo, Zelensky called Trump’s proposal to freeze the front line “a good compromise,” but questioned whether Putin would agree. He said he made clear to the US president that any ceasefire must include guarantees against further Russian aggression.
Zelensky also linked the summit delay to his request for long-range missiles, suggesting that Russia’s reluctance toward diplomacy increased once Ukraine’s access to advanced weapons was restricted. He described this pattern as a “calculated strategy by the Kremlin.”
The overnight Russian assault came shortly after Ukraine’s military claimed responsibility for a strike on a Russian chemical plant in the Bryansk border region. Ukrainian officials said the target produced explosives and rocket fuel components used in Russian weaponry.
Ukraine’s defense ministry hailed the operation as a “successful hit” that penetrated Russia’s air defense systems. Russian authorities have not confirmed damage at the site but acknowledged intercepting several missiles over Bryansk.
In Kyiv, a couple in their 60s died when a drone crashed into their high-rise apartment building. Four more people were killed in surrounding areas, adding to the death toll from what residents described as one of the heaviest barrages in weeks.
Among the dead were a 36-year-old mother, her six-month-old baby, and a 12-year-old girl. Officials said the victims were killed when their home in the village of Pohreby, north of Kyiv, was set ablaze by a missile strike.
A man in a nearby village later died from injuries sustained during the same wave of attacks. Local authorities said the fire spread rapidly due to secondary explosions from fuel containers stored nearby.
In Kharkiv, a 40-year-old man was killed and seven others wounded when a drone hit a kindergarten. Officials said children were among the injured and dozens more were evacuated before dawn.
Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched a total of 405 drones and 28 missiles overnight, 15 of which were ballistic. Air defense systems intercepted a large number, but several penetrated the shield and caused significant damage.
The capital remained under ballistic missile warning for much of the night. Firefighters worked into the morning hours extinguishing blazes in apartment buildings and schools.
Across Ukraine, emergency power cuts were introduced to stabilize the grid after multiple energy facilities were hit. Officials warned that repairs could take days as temperatures continue to drop.
Kyiv MP Inna Sovsun told the BBC that the attacks appeared aimed at crippling the country’s energy supply. She said the air raids lasted throughout the night, leaving many residents without electricity and water.
For millions of Ukrainians, the latest wave of strikes served as a harsh reminder that the war remains far from over. The attacks underscored the fragility of any diplomatic progress and the growing humanitarian cost of the conflict.
Despite calls from Western leaders for restraint, Moscow has shown little sign of de-escalation. Analysts say the Kremlin may be seeking to strengthen its bargaining position before any renewed talks with Washington.
As dawn broke over Kyiv, rescue workers continued to search for survivors beneath the debris. The smell of smoke hung in the air as families mourned loved ones lost to another night of terror.
