Russia launched a massive aerial assault on Ukraine Sunday, leveling a residential building in Kyiv, just two days before the fourth anniversary of its full-scale invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that the attack involved 297 drones and nearly 50 missiles, with a “significant proportion” intercepted by air defenses, as he urged allies to bolster Ukraine’s air defense capabilities.
The Kremlin’s offensive extended beyond Kyiv, targeting energy facilities, logistics infrastructure, including railways and municipal water supplies across the country, Zelenskyy said. More than half a million people in Kyiv are currently without power as a result of sustained attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid. Other cities, including Odesa and Kharkiv, have similarly endured repeated bombardments amid a particularly cold winter, with temperatures dropping to -22C (-7.6F).
The intensified strikes occurred despite recent U.S.-brokered talks with Russia held in Geneva, according to reports. Those discussions, however, yielded little progress, with the Kremlin insisting on territorial concessions in the eastern Donbas region – a demand Kyiv has rejected. Zelenskyy has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of stalling for time, a sentiment echoed by reports following the Geneva talks.
Escalating tensions are also brewing on Ukraine’s western borders. Hungary is threatening to veto a new package of European Union sanctions against Russia, although Slovakia has announced it will halt electricity supplies to Ukraine on Monday. Both countries are seeking the resumption of Russian oil deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline, which traverses Ukrainian territory. Kyiv maintains that a Russian drone attack in January damaged the pipeline, disrupting oil supplies to central Europe. Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó stated that oil shipments to Hungary must resume before Budapest will approve decisions favorable to Ukraine.
Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico accused Zelenskyy of “behaving maliciously” regarding the oil flow stoppages, claiming they have caused “further losses and logistical difficulties.” He warned that Slovakia would end emergency power supplies to Ukraine if deliveries are not restored by Monday.
The latest Russian strikes resulted in one death and twelve injuries, including four children, according to Ukrainian national police. A missile strike completely destroyed a two-story house in the Kyiv suburb of Sofiivska Borshchahivka. Yana Terleieva, a local medic, described waking to the sound of rockets and a subsequent explosion, witnessing the total destruction of a neighboring home. “There are no military facilities here,” she stated, adding, “Russia is a terrorist country that will not stop.”
In Lviv, a large explosion on Sunday is being investigated as a terrorist incident. The blast occurred on a central shopping street near the city’s opera house, killing a 23-year-old police officer and injuring 25 others, 14 of whom were hospitalized. Authorities reported a break-in at a store prior to the explosion, followed by two blasts apparently targeting first responders. Several arrests have been made. Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi labeled the incident “an act of terrorism,” and Ukraine’s interior ministry indicated there is evidence the crime was ordered by Russia.
Despite four years of war, Moscow has not achieved its initial objectives, including the removal of Zelenskyy’s government. Russia currently occupies approximately a fifth of Ukrainian territory and continues to make incremental gains, particularly in the east, despite suffering estimated losses of 1.2 million soldiers killed or injured. Zelenskyy, in a recent interview, asserted that Ukraine is “definitely not losing,” highlighting recent gains of approximately 116 square miles (300 sq km) in the southern Zaporizhzhia oblast.
Pope Leo XIV, speaking in Rome on Sunday, described peace in Ukraine as “an urgent necessity,” appealing for an immediate ceasefire and a strengthening of dialogue to pave the way for peace. He stated, “Peace cannot be postponed… It must locate space in hearts and be translated into responsible decisions.”
