Zelenskyy says partners gave Ukraine no warning of Russian strikes
Ukraine received no advance warning from its partners regarding a Russian ballistic missile barrage that struck Kyiv and other locations, according to statements from Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The overnight air assault cut power to more than half a million households and injured civilians across multiple regions.
Missile Barrage Hits Kyiv Energy Infrastructure Without Warning
The Sunday night assault involved waves of ballistic missiles hitting energy targets in the capital. Yurii Ihnat, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, stated on television that Kyiv received no warning ahead of the initial 11:00 p.m. strike, though a subsequent alert was issued before a 3:00 a.m. attack. Throughout operations ranging from Kharkiv and Dnipro eastward to Odesa in the south, Moscow launched over 200 drones alongside 16 ballistic missiles targeting Kyiv and its surrounding area.
The strikes killed two people in Kyiv and the surrounding region, with two additional fatalities reported in Kryvyi Rih. Authorities recorded hits at 25 locations, while debris fell in eight areas.
President Zelenskiy criticized the lack of notification in a public social media post. “Once again, Russia launched a ballistic missile attack in multiple waves throughout the night, and once again, there was no warning from our partners,” Zelenskiy wrote. He added that blocked missile supplies for air defense and delayed sanctions represent a denial of reality by international allies.
Trump Waives Russia Sanctions to Facilitate Peace Negotiations
Strains between President Donald Trump’s administration and President Zelensky regarding American assistance for Kyiv and Washington’s diplomatic posture toward Moscow are underscored by the event. On Friday, the US president waived a sweeping package of sanctions on Russia, telling Congress the pause was in the national interest. Writing on social media on Sunday, Trump stated that he is negotiating peace between Russia and Ukraine and wants to avoid driving Moscow away from the bargaining table.
In earlier instances, Ukrainian officials were reportedly told that bad weather over southern Russia had obscured preparations for missile launches.
Multiple sources familiar with the matter told CBS News that American officials attributed the system failure to bad weather, an explanation Ukrainian officials viewed with skepticism. Meanwhile, US President Trump denied that Washington had stopped sharing intelligence, telling reporters that the United States is actively assisting both nations to reach a final peace agreement.
Humanitarian Toll in Oleshky and Vatican Intervention
A Ukrainian human rights official reported that approximately 2,000 residents in the Russian-occupied frontline town of Oleshky have been cut off from food and medical supplies for months. Pope Leo XIV held a phone call with President Zelenskiy on Monday, urging both nations to cooperate to allow aid and medical deliveries into the blockaded town, alongside safe and voluntary evacuations for civilians.
I spoke with Prime Minister @MarkJCarney. Thank you, Canada! I briefed him on the latest Russian strike on Kyiv and no advance warning from our partners about the ballistic missile launch. This is the second time Ukraine has received no warning this week. A rescue operation is…
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Additional Strikes and Infrastructure Damage Across Districts
The Russian defense ministry stated that it carried out a massive strike using ground-based high-precision weapons and strike drones. The Russian military claimed targets hit in Kyiv included a data centre, a logistics hub storing drone and cruise missile components, an industrial facility producing drone parts, and a locomotive depot where missiles are stored. Additional strikes were reported on a polymer materials plant in the region and on a bulk carrier at sea 80 miles south-west of Odesa. In Kyiv’s Desnianskyi district, the assault damaged a private medical facility and a metro station, while educational institutions and sports facilities were affected in the Dniprovskyi district. A fire also broke out on the third floor of a medical facility situated within a 25-storey residential building in the Solomianskyi district.