Nato forces have scrambled fighter jets in a decisive response to one of the most ferocious Russian assaults on Ukraine's capital since the war began. The intense bombardment, which struck Kyiv in the early hours, killed at least three people and wounded 15 others, plunging the city into darkness and severing water supplies.
Capital Plunged into Darkness
The ruthless attack saw missiles and drones deliberately target key electricity infrastructure and residential buildings. This calculated assault, using Tu-95MS strategic bomber aircraft, left the entire west bank of Kyiv without power and disrupted water supplies for its inhabitants.
As the attack unfolded, Poland's armed forces were swiftly activated. Allied warplanes began patrolling regions close to the Ukrainian border in a significant show of force. A statement from Warsaw's operational headquarters confirmed the action, stating, 'In connection with the attack by the Russian Federation, which is carrying out strikes on facilities located on the territory of Ukraine, military aviation is operating in Polish airspace.'
The statement further elaborated that the Operational Commander had activated all necessary forces, with fighter jets scrambled and ground-based air defence systems placed on high readiness, describing these measures as 'preventive in nature.'
Ukraine's Retaliatory Strikes and Political Turmoil
This massive onslaught on civilians came just hours after Ukraine demonstrated its own capability to strike back. Ukrainian drones successfully hit and set ablaze two vessels from Putin's shadow oil fleet in the open Black Sea. In a separate incident, a giant fire engulfed a major Russian drone battery production plant in Alabuga, located in the Tatarstan region.
The military escalation coincides with high-stakes diplomatic manoeuvres. Top Ukrainian officials are en route to Miami for talks with Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the former president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. This meeting is a precursor to a planned peace plan discussion with Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin scheduled for early next week.
Meanwhile, political tensions in Kyiv are running high. The former head of Volodymyr Zelensky's office, Andriy Yermak, was forced to resign amid a gathering corruption scandal linked to kickbacks in the atomic energy sector. In a bitter statement, Yermak declared, 'I'm going to the front and am prepared for any reprisals,' signalling deep internal divisions as Ukraine faces pressure to agree to a peace deal that would cede territory.
Widespread Damage and Further Attacks
The carnage in Kyiv saw bodies pulled from the rubble of residential buildings, with a postal warehouse set ablaze. The attacks on civilian infrastructure appear to be a deliberate strategy to terrorise the Ukrainian population and weaken their resolve.
Ukraine continued its retaliatory campaign elsewhere, with an attack on Saki airport in Russian-occupied Crimea destroying warehouses packed with Orion drones. Drones also struck and exploded the Afipsky oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar region, a key facility for supplying fuel to troops in the war zone.
