Russia launched one of its most devastating overnight attacks on Ukraine’s major cities late Thursday, killing at least nine people and injuring 70 others—just hours after former U.S. President Donald Trump claimed he had brokered deals with both sides to end the war.
The capital, Kyiv, was rocked by drones and missiles during what Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described as “a particularly horrible and loud night.” The bombardment triggered fires in administrative buildings, garages, and parked vehicles, as well as widespread damage to residential areas, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.
Rescue teams were still searching for survivors in the rubble Thursday morning, as the full extent of the destruction became clear.
Explosions were also reported in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, where Mayor Ihor Terekhov issued a warning to residents: “Be careful!”
Just hours earlier on Wednesday, former President Donald Trump claimed from the Oval Office, “I think we have a deal with both” sides—though he acknowledged that an agreement with Ukraine had yet to be finalized.
“I thought it might be easier to deal with Zelenskyy,” Trump admitted. “So far, it’s been harder.” His remarks followed a post on Truth Social earlier that day, where he criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for making what he called “inflammatory statements”—a response to a Wall Street Journal interview in which Zelenskyy rejected key elements of Washington’s proposed peace plan. Trump concluded his post with a directive: a deal “needed to GET IT DONE.”
For many Ukrainians and their allies, Russia’s brutal overnight assault underscored what they see as the Kremlin’s hypocrisy. Despite presenting itself as open to peace, President Vladimir Putin continues to push demands that amount to Ukrainian capitulation—while simultaneously escalating the war he began three years ago.
In his interview with the Wall Street Journal, Zelenskyy reaffirmed that Ukraine would never accept Russian control over Crimea, a central condition in Moscow’s terms.
“These outrageous strikes, coming just after yesterday’s extreme Russian demands for Ukraine to abandon its own regions, make it clear: Russia, not Ukraine, is the obstacle to peace,” said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. “The world’s pressure should be focused on Moscow—not Kyiv.”
