Russia launches ‘massive’ attack in Ukraine, killing three

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched “massive” attacks on several Ukrainian cities on Monday night, a day after he warned of attacks over Christmas.

Ukrainian officials said at least three people were killed, including a four-year-old child, and energy infrastructure was also targeted, causing blackouts in several areas.

According to Ukraine, Russia launched more than 600 drones and 30 missiles.

“People just want to be with their families and safe at home on Christmas Eve,” Zelensky said, adding that the attack sent “an extremely clear signal about Russia’s priorities” despite ongoing peace talks.

He added: “Putin still cannot accept that he has to stop the killing. This means the world is not putting enough pressure on Russia.”

Zelensky has previously warned that the Kremlin’s “nature” is to “launch large-scale attacks” during the holidays.

A child died in the central Zhitomir region, local official Vitaly Bunechko confirmed. She was taken to hospital where doctors struggled to save her life but were ultimately unable to save her life. Five other people were injured during the strike, he added.

Meanwhile, a 76-year-old woman died and three others were injured in an attack on a house in the Kiev region, according to Ukraine’s state emergency services.

An attack in the Khmelnytskyy region in western Ukraine killed a 72-year-old man, said Serhiy Tyurin, the administrator of the Khmelnytskyy region in western Ukraine.

Polish fighter jets have been scrambled to counter missiles and drones targeting western Ukraine.

The Russian Defense Ministry said it targeted energy facilities and other transportation infrastructure, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

Meanwhile, Ukraine reportedly attacked a petrochemical plant in Stravropol, southern Russia.

Video shared online by Russian media channels showed fire rising in the direction of the factory.

The region’s governor, Vladimir Vladimirov, said a Ukrainian drone hit the factory and started the fire. There were no reports of casualties and the residential buildings were not damaged.

With temperatures expected to drop to -7 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, Ukraine’s energy operator warned of emergency power outages in “all regions” and urged people to use energy “with caution”.

Acting Energy Minister Artem Nekrasov said this was the ninth large-scale attack on Ukraine’s energy system this year, with an “almost complete” loss of supplies in the Rivne, Ternopil and Khmelnytsky regions.

Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksandr Merezhko told BBC World Service that some areas could be without power for “a few days”.

The main focus of Russian attacks in recent days has been southern port city odessaEarlier, Vladimir Putin threatened to cut off Ukraine’s access to the Black Sea.

The Russian president issued the threat in retaliation for Ukrainian drone attacks on oil tankers in Russia’s “shadow fleet”, which are used to transport oil and other commodities subject to Western sanctions.

Tuesday morning’s attack broke a period of relative calm in the capital Kiev, weeks after Shahid’s drone flew low over the capital.

In Ukraine’s capital, many suspect the latest attacks are linked to Monday’s attack A top Russian general has been killed after a car bomb exploded in Moscow.

Lieutenant General Fanil Salvarov, head of the armed forces’ combat training department, was killed in the explosion, which Russia blamed on Ukraine. Kyiv has yet to comment.

it also appears in Latest round of U.S.-led diplomatic talks held in MiamiEnvoys from Washington and Kiev have been drafting detailed proposals to end the war.

Zelensky said the United States had proposed a Christmas truce, but Russia rejected the idea.

Zelensky said he had received a progress report on the talks on Tuesday morning and “several draft documents are now ready,” including the basic framework for ending the war, Ukraine’s future security and the country’s post-war recovery.

Putin will also be briefed on Tuesday by his envoy Kirill Dmitriev on the latest discussions with Washington.