Russia Ukraine War: Russian strikes kill four as Kyiv faces missile barrage

The Russia Ukraine War intensified overnight as Russian forces launched a barrage of ballistic missiles against Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions, killing at least four people and injuring dozens, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday.

The attacks came hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed “in principle” to resume three-way negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States. However, no date has been announced for the proposed talks.

“Russia has not changed the way it wages this war, and it is taking no steps that would signal a genuine desire to end it,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said following the latest strikes.

Russian forces attacked 12 regions of Ukraine overnight, killing at least four people and wounding scores of others, including five children, Zelenskyy said.

In the northeastern Kharkiv region, a Russian strike on a market in Lozova killed two women aged 50 and 60 and wounded dozens of people, according to regional military administration head Oleh Syniehubov. Another person was killed in separate attacks in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said.

Kyiv endured three waves of ballistic missile attacks, with 21 missiles striking the capital, Zelenskyy said. The strikes damaged apartment buildings, energy facilities, a railway station, the metro system, shopping centres and businesses. One person was killed in the capital.

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Zelenskyy said three ballistic missiles carried cluster munitions, which release multiple smaller explosives over an area.

The attacks have heightened concerns about Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ahead of winter. Kyiv has accused Moscow of targeting power facilities to deprive civilians of heating, electricity and running water.

Since October 11, Russia has launched 170 attacks on Ukraine’s critical energy facilities, Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian president urged Washington to supply more ammunition for Patriot air defence systems and increase sanctions pressure on Moscow. He warned that reduced military assistance and easing pressure on Russia could encourage Putin to continue pursuing his objectives.

Russia and Ukraine remain far apart on the conditions for ending the war, despite US efforts to restart negotiations. Representatives of the three countries held technical talks in the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland in January and February, but made little progress beyond prisoner exchanges.

Putin agreed in principle to resume trilateral talks during a meeting in St Petersburg on Wednesday with US President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff. The envoy had earlier met Zelenskyy in Norway and described the diplomatic efforts as gaining “new momentum”.

Zelenskyy has argued that a meeting between national leaders is necessary to break the deadlock.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin had received an invitation to attend the G20 summit in Miami in December but had not decided whether to participate.

Peskov praised the US administration’s efforts towards a peaceful settlement and accused European capitals of contributing to the escalation of the conflict.

Witkoff also faced criticism in Ukraine and the United States after describing Putin as a “humanitarian” for ordering the release of a retired American teacher imprisoned in Russia on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the latest Russian attacks and criticised attempts to appease the Russian president, arguing that stronger measures were needed to end the war.

On the Russian side, the Defence Ministry said air defence systems intercepted 808 Ukrainian drones overnight, while two people were reported wounded. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 630 drones had been directed towards the Russian capital between late Wednesday and early Thursday. Airports in Moscow temporarily restricted air traffic.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had struck facilities involved in producing and storing Ukrainian drones and cruise missiles, as well as transport infrastructure in Kyiv. It also reported attacks on infrastructure in the southern port city of Odesa and vessels allegedly used by Ukraine’s armed forces.

In a separate development, Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said the bodies of 252 people identified by Russia as Ukrainian soldiers had been returned to Ukraine. Russian lawmaker Shamsail Saraliyev said Russia received the bodies of 25 Russian soldiers in the exchange.