Russia Unleashes Deadliest Assault In Months Amid U.S.-Ukraine Tensions

Russia launched its deadliest wave of airstrikes on Ukraine’s capital in nine months early Thursday, just hours after former U.S. President Donald Trump publicly criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for allegedly undermining peace negotiations.

Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Moscow fired 70 missiles and deployed 145 drones, with most targeting Kyiv. According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, at least eight people were killed, and emergency services said strikes hit 13 locations across the city—including residential buildings and critical infrastructure. Earlier figures suggested nine dead and over 60 injured.

It was Kyiv’s most devastating attack since July 2024, when 33 people were killed during a similar aerial onslaught targeting hospitals and neighborhoods. Authorities believe more victims may be trapped under debris, and search and rescue efforts remain ongoing.

President Zelensky, who had just arrived in South Africa on Wednesday night, announced he would cut short his trip and return to Ukraine.

“It is extremely important that the world sees and understands what is truly happening,” Zelensky said, vowing to reach out to international partners for urgent reinforcement of Ukraine’s air defenses. “These strikes must stop immediately and unconditionally.”

The assault left Kyiv under siege for hours, with CNN reporters describing six hours of relentless air raid sirens. One producer said they sheltered in a hallway with their child as drones buzzed outside and missiles lit up the sky. Images shared by emergency services showed buildings engulfed in flames.

Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said emergency teams, including rescue dogs, are combing through rubble in the Sviatoshyn district, where two children are feared missing. “The situation is tragic,” he said.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko urged residents to take cover during the bombardment. Later, the city’s military administration issued an all-clear message. “Rescuers are working around the clock to clear the debris, but are doing so by hand, as people may still be trapped beneath,” Klitschko said via Telegram.

At least 42 people were hospitalized, including six children, according to emergency responders. The wave of attacks extended across eight regions, including Zhytomyr, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia. Five ballistic missiles reportedly penetrated Ukraine’s defenses.

The strikes came amid escalating tensions between Trump and Zelensky, primarily over the future of Crimea—the Ukrainian territory Russia illegally annexed in 2014.

CNN reports that the current U.S. administration has floated a controversial proposal to recognize Russian control of Crimea as part of a potential peace deal. Such a move would mark a dramatic shift in American foreign policy and challenge long-standing international norms prohibiting the redrawing of borders by force.

Zelensky has firmly rejected the idea, saying it would violate Ukraine’s constitution. Trump, however, lashed out at him on Wednesday, calling Zelensky’s stance “very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia” and accusing him of making “inflammatory statements.”

“It’s statements like these that make peace so difficult. He has nothing to boast about!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Hours later, U.S. Vice President JD Vance warned the U.S. might walk away from negotiations, saying a “very explicit proposal” had been presented to both parties and it was time to make a decision.

Meanwhile, ministerial-level talks among Ukraine, the U.S., the U.K., France, and Germany were downgraded to lower-level discussions after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio withdrew from the meeting.

“Emotions have run high today,” Zelensky wrote on X (formerly Twitter), as diplomacy appeared to stall once again.

Amid the chaos, Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected to visit Moscow on Friday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin—adding another layer of intrigue to the ongoing power struggle shaping the war’s next phase.