Russia executed one of its largest aerial assaults to date by deploying approximately 600 drones and dozens of missiles in a coordinated overnight operation targeting critical energy infrastructure across Ukraine on Tuesday, resulting in the tragic deaths of at least three civilians, including a four-year-old child, amid escalating hostilities.
Ukrainian authorities condemned the timing of the barrage as a deliberate sabotage of diplomatic efforts, with an official statement highlighting that the strikes occurred essentially during active negotiations aimed at concluding the nearly four-year war, underscoring what they described as Russia's unequivocal intent to prioritise destruction over peace.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko confirmed that facilities in western Ukraine bore the brunt of the damage, exacerbating the country's ongoing energy crisis during harsh winter conditions, while the Russian Defence Ministry openly acknowledged and justified the operation in its daily briefing as a legitimate military response.
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A separate missile attack on port infrastructure in the southern city of Odesa over the preceding weekend claimed eight lives and injured 27 others, according to Ukraine's emergency services, further compounding civilian suffering as a high-level Kremlin representative prepared for discussions in the United States regarding a proposed American framework to end the conflict.
In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin used his annual year-end press conference to assert continued battlefield dominance, declaring that Russian troops are advancing along the entire line of contact at varying paces, forcing Ukrainian forces into retreat across all sectors, and expressing confidence in achieving additional territorial gains before the close of 2025, while maintaining that Russia's core demands for any peace settlement remain unaltered since June 2024.
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