Overnight Russian drone strikes struck apartment blocks and power infrastructure in Odesa, wounding six people, including three children, and damaging residential buildings and energy facilities. The Russian Defense Ministry said dozens of Ukrainian drones were shot down, and Moscow has accused Kyiv of an attempted attack on a presidential residence—an allegation Kyiv denies. Diplomatic momentum continues: Zelenskyy secured more contributors to a U.S.-sourced weapons fund now totaling $4.3 billion, while reports say Ukrainian forces struck a Russian fuel depot in Rybinsk.
Russian Drone Strikes Hit Odesa, Wounding Six Including Three Children, as Putin Reaffirms Confidence in Victory
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
KYIV — Overnight Russian drone strikes struck apartment blocks and power infrastructure in the southern port city of Odesa, injuring six people, officials said Wednesday, including a toddler and two other children.
Damage and Casualties
Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa regional military administration, said four residential buildings were damaged in the bombardment. Energy company DTEK reported that two of its facilities suffered significant damage and noted that 10 electrical substations in the region were hit during December.
The United Nations reported earlier this month that from January through November more than 2,300 Ukrainian civilians were killed and over 11,000 were injured. The UN said those casualty totals were substantially higher than in previous years.
Claims, Denials and the Wider Context
In his traditional New Year’s address, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated his confidence in Russia’s eventual victory in the nearly four-year war, praising troops as heroes "fighting for your native land, truth and justice," according to the Russian state news agency Tass.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Russian air defenses shot down 86 Ukrainian drones overnight over Russian territory, the Black Sea and the annexed Crimea peninsula. Separately, the Defense Ministry released video of a downed drone it said was one of 91 Ukrainian drones involved in an alleged attack this week on a presidential residence in northwest Russia. Kyiv has denied the allegation and called it a lie aimed at derailing peace talks.
The video shows a camouflaged man in a helmet and Kevlar vest standing near a damaged drone in the snow and speaking about it. The ministry provided no date or precise location for the footage, and the claims have not been independently verified. Maj. Gen. Alexander Romanenkov of the Russian air force said the drones had taken off from the Sumy and Chernihiv regions and were intercepted over several western Russian regions; questions were not permitted at his briefing.
In this image made from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, a Russian Army soldier fires from D-30 howitzer towards Ukrainian positions in an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Diplomacy and Military Assistance
Diplomatic efforts to halt the fighting have been renewed. U.S. President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and said a settlement is "closer than ever before." Zelenskyy is scheduled to hold talks with European leaders next week as he seeks acceptable terms.
Zelenskyy also announced that Romania and Croatia have joined a pooled mechanism that purchases U.S. weapons for Ukraine, known as the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL). Since its establishment in August, 24 countries have joined the fund, which Zelenskyy says has raised $4.3 billion in total, including nearly $1.5 billion in December.
Other Developments
A Ukrainian security official, not authorized to speak publicly, told The Associated Press that Ukraine's Security Service conducted a drone strike early Tuesday on a major Russian fuel storage site in the Yaroslavl region. The official said long-range drones struck the Temp oil depot in Rybinsk, part of Russia's state fuel reserve system; Rybinsk is about 800 kilometers (roughly 500 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
Correction: A previous version of this story was corrected to give the timing of the alleged attack on Putin's residence as late Sunday and early Monday.
Katie Marie Davies in Leicester, England, contributed to this report.
Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
