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Russia attacked Ukraine's superior with ballistic missiles and drones connected Saturday (December 27, 2025), sidesplitting astatine slightest 1 idiosyncratic and wounding 27, a time earlier talks betwixt the leaders of Ukraine and the United States, authorities said.
Explosions boomed crossed Kyiv arsenic the onslaught began successful aboriginal greeting and continued for hours.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepared to conscionable with U.S. President Donald Trump successful Florida connected Sunday for further talks connected ending the astir four-year war. Mr. Zelenskyy told reporters that helium and Trump program to sermon respective matters, including information guarantees and territorial issues successful the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
"This onslaught is Russia's reply connected our bid efforts. It truly shows that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin does not privation peace," Mr. Zelenskyy said aft stopping successful Canada to conscionable with Prime Minister Mark Carney successful Halifax, Nova Scotia. Carney announced $1.8 cardinal worthy of economical assistance to Ukraine that helps unlock financing from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank for reconstruction and development.
"The barbarism that we saw overnight, the onslaught of Kyiv, shows conscionable however important that we basal with Ukraine during this hard time," Mr. Carney said.
Apartment buildings deed
The Russian Defence Ministry said it carried retired a "massive strike" overnight, utilizing "long-range precision-guided weapons from land, aerial and sea, including Kinzhal hypersonic aeroballistic missiles" and drones. It said it targeted vigor infrastructure facilities utilized by Ukraine's forces and military-industrial enterprises.
But respective residential buildings were struck.
The Ministry said the onslaught was successful effect to Ukraine's attacks connected "civilian objects" successful Russia.
Earlier connected Saturday, the ministry said aerial defences changeable down 7 Ukrainian drones implicit the Russian regions of Krasnodar and Adygeya overnight. On Saturday afternoon, the ministry said 147 much drones were changeable down implicit a fig of Russian regions.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said aerial defences intercepted much than 20 drones "flying towards" the Russian superior connected Saturday. He did not study immoderate harm oregon casualties. It was not instantly wide whether those were included successful the Defence Ministry's count.
Russia claims territorial gains
In what could beryllium viewed arsenic an effort to further ramp up unit connected Ukraine earlier the Zelenskyy-Trump talks, the Kremlin connected Saturday nighttime released a video of Mr. Putin successful subject fatigues receiving reports from apical subject officials successful an unidentified subject bid post.
Russia's General Staff chief, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, reported to Putin that the Russian troops person taken afloat power of Myrnohrad successful the Donetsk portion —Russia uses the aged Soviet sanction of the city, Dimitrov — the metropolis of Huliaipole successful the Zaporizhzhia region, and a fewer different settlements.
There was nary contiguous remark from Ukrainian officials. Ukraine's General Staff reported attempts by Russian forces "to propulsion Ukrainian defenders from their positions" successful a fig of areas, including Myrnohrad, and Kyiv's forces repelling "enemy attempts to advance" successful the areas of Huliaipole and Bilohiria.
Mr. Putin said that "if Kyiv authorities are not consenting to extremity the substance peacefully, we volition execute each the goals we person successful the peculiar subject cognition by subject means".
Poland connected alert
Poland scrambled combatant jets and closed airports successful Lublin and Rzeszow adjacent the borderline with Ukraine for respective hours during the Russian attacks, the country's equipped forces bid said connected societal media. There was nary usurpation of Polish airspace, it said.
Civil aviation authorization Pansa aboriginal said the airports had resumed operations. It was unclear what caused the alert successful Poland erstwhile the Russian attacks were focussed connected Kyiv, which is acold from the border.
Russia targeted Ukraine with 519 drones and 40 missiles, Ukraine's aerial unit said. The main people was vigor and civilian infrastructure successful Kyiv, Mr. Zelenskyy said. In immoderate districts of the region, determination is nary energy oregon heating due to the fact that of the attacks, helium said.
Screams arsenic antheral burns to decease
More than 10 residential buildings were damaged, Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said connected societal media.
Olena Karpenko, 52, said she heard a antheral arsenic helium burned to death. "His shriek is inactive successful my ears. I cannot judge it," she said, weeping.
Karpenko said they heard an detonation astatine the adjacent thermal powerfulness plant, followed by a stronger blast that shook the windows of her home. Then came the onslaught connected her building.
Two children were among those wounded successful the attack, which deed 7 locations crossed the capital, the caput of the Kyiv Military Administration, Tymur Tkachenko, said connected societal media.
A assemblage was recovered nether the rubble of 1 damaged building, helium said. It was not instantly wide if that idiosyncratic was the antheral who burned to death.
A occurrence broke retired successful an 18-story residential gathering successful the Dnipro district, and exigency crews rushed to incorporate the flames. A 24-story residential gathering successful the Darnytsia territory was besides hit, Tkachenko said, and much fires broke retired successful the Obolonskyi and Holosiivsky districts.
In the wider Kyiv region, the strikes deed concern and residential buildings, according to Ukraine's Emergency Service. In the Vyshhorod area, exigency crews rescued 1 idiosyncratic recovered nether the rubble of a destroyed house.
Ukraine's largest backstage vigor company, DTEK, said connected X connected Saturday evening that the Russian onslaught caused "extensive powerfulness outages" successful Kyiv, saying that hundreds of thousands of customers remained without power.
Security guarantees prioritised
Mr. Zelenskyy told reporters helium would purpose to guarantee determination were "as fewer unresolved issues arsenic possible" successful talks with Trump, portion respecting Ukraine's reddish lines.
Speaking by audio enactment successful a WhatsApp chat with journalists, Mr. Zelenskyy said helium would prioritise discussing information guarantees for Ukraine. He has said that successful the draught bid plan, the US has committed to providing guarantees that reflector the NATO alliance's Article 5, which means an onslaught connected Ukraine would trigger a corporate subject effect from the US and its allies.
But cardinal details indispensable beryllium worked retired successful a bilateral agreement.
Territorial concessions are the astir delicate of issues the 2 leaders volition discuss, including the Donetsk portion and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Mr. Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine would ne'er recognise immoderate territory arsenic Russian "under immoderate circumstances".
