A major Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine killed at least three people, including a child, and knocked out power across most regions on Tuesday, Ukrainian authorities said, as the country prepares to mark Christmas.
The overnight assault involved more than 30 missiles and hundreds of drones, striking at least 13 regions, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. Energy facilities in western Ukraine were hit hardest, forcing emergency power cuts nationwide.
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Two people, including a four-year-old child, were killed in the Zhytomyr region, while another person died near Kyiv. At least five others were wounded around the capital, officials said.
Ukraine's grid operator reported damage to critical infrastructure in the Chernihiv, Lviv and Odesa regions. Poland said it scrambled Polish and allied aircraft to protect its airspace after strikes landed close to the border.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the timing of the attack, calling it a clear signal of Moscow's intentions. "An attack ahead of Christmas, when people simply want to be at home and safe," he wrote on social media.
The strike came just days after US-led peace talks involving Ukrainian, European and Russian representatives. Kyiv says Moscow has intensified attacks on energy and logistics targets to increase pressure amid negotiations over a possible settlement to the nearly four-year-old war.