In a sharp escalation, Russia launched a heavy missile and drone strike on Kyiv early Tuesday, just hours after US President Donald Trump expressed hope that a ceasefire deal with Ukraine was within reach.
Ukraine’s air-defence systems were activated as explosions shook the capital. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that a residential building was severely damaged and firefighters were battling multiple blazes in shops across the city. Power and water cuts were also imposed in some districts, he said, with emergency workers scrambling to respond.
In a separate blow, Russia also struck southern Russian regions overnight.
In the Krasnodar area, suspected drone attacks injured six people and damaged more than 20 homes across five municipalities, including the key port city of Novorossiysk. In the neighbouring Rostov region, a strike on Taganrog killed one person, injured three others, and damaged residential buildings, industrial sites, and even a kindergarten.
The strike on Kyiv followed Trump’s recent comments on social media, in which he said “big progress” was being made on a peace proposal. He referenced a 28-point plan floated by Washington, which, after further talks with Ukrainian and European officials, has reportedly been whittled down to a 19-point version.
Russia, for its part, has rejected the revised peace framework as a “non-starter.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Energy Ministry warned of a “massive combined attack” on its power infrastructure. It added that damage assessments and restoration efforts would begin “as soon as the security situation allows.”
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View AllUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, speaking in his evening address, acknowledged that progress had been made in negotiations with US and European partners.
Still, he cautioned that “much remains to be done” and insisted that any deal must be pursued “with dignity.”


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