Russia Launches Massive Overnight Strike on Ukraine — 25 Dead as Diplomacy Seeks Revival

A massive overnight barrage of Russian missiles and drones killed at least 25 people across Ukraine, including two children, officials said, in one of the largest aerial attacks since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Residential buildings and energy infrastructure were struck, leaving many regions without power as temperatures fall.

Attack and impact

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow launched 476 drones and 48 cruise and ballistic missiles. Ukraine's military reported that six or seven missiles and nearly three dozen drones penetrated its air-defence systems. Explosions and fires were reported near front-line areas around Kharkiv in the east and, strikingly, as far west as Lviv near the Polish border.

Most fatalities occurred in the western city of Ternopil, where the Interior Ministry said two high-rise apartment blocks and energy facilities were hit. Power outages were reported across multiple regions, posing grave risks as people face plunging temperatures and increased demand for heating.

Diplomatic response

Zelenskyy, who was visiting Turkey, said the scale of the strikes underscored the need for stronger international pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Every brazen attack against ordinary life indicates that the pressure on Russia is insufficient," he wrote on social media.

"Foremost, we will discuss maximum capabilities to ensure that Ukraine achieves a just peace," Zelenskyy said, adding that his team had seen "some positions and signals from the United States, well, let's see tomorrow."

Zelenskyy said he would ask Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to help intensify Russia's diplomatic isolation and to use Turkey's ties with both Moscow and Washington to press for renewed negotiations. A U.S. official confirmed that Army Secretary Dan Driscoll was in Ukraine as part of a delegation attempting to restart peace talks. New U.S. sanctions targeting Russia's oil sector are scheduled to take effect Friday, intended to increase pressure on Moscow.

Russian response

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there were no immediate plans for President Putin to engage in talks, but added that the Russian leader remained "of course open to a conversation," a line Moscow has repeated since the invasion began.

The strikes — their scale and reach — highlight the continuing human toll of the conflict and the urgency of both humanitarian and diplomatic efforts as the war enters its fourth winter.