Much of Kyiv without heat after deadly Russian airstrikes

By Stefan J. Bos 

The strikes came just hours before Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was to hold talks with European and U.S. leaders on how to end the war with Russia.

Many residents spent much of the night sheltering underground as hundreds of Russian drones and missiles rained down on Kyiv.

President Zelenskyy said Moscow launched nearly 500 drones and about 40 missiles, including ballistic missiles, in one of the heaviest overnight attacks in weeks.

The attacks prompted nearby Poland to scramble fighter jets and close civilian airports in Rzeszow and Lublin amid fears Russia could violate its airspace too. 

However, Zelenskyy said the primary targets were Kyiv’s energy facilities and civilian infrastructure, leaving about a third of the city without heating as winter temperatures plunge below freezing.

He stressed that the strikes showed that international pressure on Russia remains insufficient — accusing Moscow of turning, in his words, “Christmas and the New Year into a time of destroyed homes, burned apartments, and ruined power plants.”

The bombardment earlier hit other cities, including Kharkiv, causing casualties among civilians.

Baby among victims 

Kharkiv’s medical emergency chief, Viktor Zabashta, says a nine-month-old baby and his mother were among those injured. “There is a nine-month-old child with a head injury,” he said, his voice trembling. “Together with his mother, they were taken to one of the city’s hospitals.”

The overnight assault lasted around ten hours, killing at least one person and wounding more than two dozen others, according to Ukrainian officials.

The strikes came just hours before a scheduled call between Zelenskyy and European leaders — part of a renewed diplomatic push toward a possible peace deal.

Zelenskyy is also expected to travel to Florida for a face-to-face meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, who says he wants to end nearly four years of fighting that has killed or wounded more than one million people.

Trump has accused both Russia and Ukraine of failing to take sincere steps toward peace.

Territory remains sensitive issue 

A demand that Ukraine give up territory remains the central diplomatic stumbling block. 

But Zelenskyy said a 20-point draft peace framework, backed by the United States, “is 90 percent complete.”

He added that a security-guarantees agreement with Washington is nearly ready — though Trump cautioned that nothing is final until he signs off.

For now, as diplomacy accelerates, Ukrainians remain braced for more attacks — and more nights without heat.