Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia carried out a “massive” overnight attack on Kyiv and other regions, damaging homes, critical infrastructure and the Embassy of Qatar, as the country endured a severe cold spell.
“In Kyiv and the region, the aftermath of the massive Russian strike is still being dealt with. All necessary services are deployed,” Zelenskyy said, adding that at least 20 residential buildings in the capital were damaged. He said recovery operations were also ongoing in the Lviv region and other parts of the country.
At least four people were killed in Kyiv, including a member of an ambulance crew, while dozens were injured. “Unfortunately, as of now, it is known that four people have been killed in the capital alone. Among them is an ambulance crew member. My condolences to their families and loved ones,” Zelenskyy said. He added that a second strike hit one residential building at the exact moment when first responders were assisting victims of an earlier attack.
Zelenskyy said Russia launched 242 drones overnight, along with 13 ballistic missiles, 22 cruise missiles and one Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile. He said the attacks targeted energy facilities and civilian infrastructure. “The attack took place exactly when there was a significant cold spell. Aimed precisely against the normal life of ordinary people,” he said.
Among the sites damaged was the Embassy of Qatar in Kyiv. “In addition to our civilian infrastructure and energy facilities, a building of the Embassy of Qatar was damaged last night by a Russian drone — Qatar, a state that does so much to mediate with Russia to secure the release of prisoners of war and civilians held in Russian prisons,” Zelenskyy said.
Ukrainian authorities said Kyiv and the surrounding region suffered the heaviest impact. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko accused Russia of deliberately targeting emergency responders working at the sites of earlier strikes.
The attacks came as temperatures dropped below minus 10 degrees Celsius, leaving tens of thousands without electricity, heating or water. Klymenko said Russia’s objective was to deprive civilians of basic services during winter.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said four civilians were killed and more than two dozen injured in Kyiv alone, adding that residential areas and critical infrastructure were deliberately targeted. He said Ukraine was urging its international partners to condemn the strikes, impose tougher sanctions and increase military support, warning that Moscow was choosing “war, terror and barbarism instead of diplomacy.”
Zelenskyy also said Russian battlefield losses were mounting. Citing Ukrainian estimates, he claimed tens of thousands of Russian soldiers had been killed in recent months, suggesting Moscow’s current recruitment strategy was becoming increasingly unsustainable.
