Russia Unleashes Devastating Missile Barrage on Ukrainian Cities
In a significant escalation of hostilities just days before the fourth anniversary of Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion, Russia has fired scores of missiles and drones at targets across Ukraine. The intense bombardment flattened residential buildings in Kyiv and targeted critical infrastructure nationwide, marking one of the largest aerial assaults in recent months.
Massive Aerial Assault Targets Civilian Infrastructure
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that Russian forces launched 297 drones and nearly 50 missiles in a single day, with attacks focusing on energy facilities, railway networks, and municipal water supply systems. "Moscow continues to invest in strikes more than in diplomacy," Zelenskyy stated, emphasizing the systematic nature of Russia's campaign against Ukraine's civilian infrastructure.
The attacks have left more than half a million residents in Kyiv without power during one of the coldest winters in years, with temperatures plunging to -22°C (-7.6°F). Other major cities including Odesa and Kharkiv have faced repeated battering from Russian missiles, creating humanitarian crises across multiple regions.
EU Sanctions Face Hungarian Veto Threat
The missile barrage occurred amid escalating tensions between Ukraine and neighboring Hungary and Slovakia. Budapest has threatened to block a new package of European Union sanctions against Russia, while Bratislava has announced plans to cut off emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine.
Both countries are demanding the resumption of Russian oil deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline, which crosses Ukrainian territory. Kyiv maintains that a Russian drone attack in January damaged the critical pipeline that supplies oil to central Europe.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó declared in a social media video: "Until the Ukrainians resume oil shipments to Hungary, we will not allow decisions that are important to them to be approved." Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico accused Zelenskyy of "behaving maliciously" and warned that unless oil deliveries resumed, Slovakia would halt emergency power supplies to Ukraine.
Civilian Casualties Mount in Residential Attacks
Ukrainian authorities reported that the latest Russian strikes killed one man and wounded a dozen people, including four children. In the Kyiv suburb of Sofiivska Borshchahivka, a missile completely demolished a private two-story house, leaving rescuers to sift through debris as firefighters worked to contain the damage.
Yana Terleieva, a 44-year-old medic who witnessed the attack, described waking to the sound of rockets whistling, alarms blaring, and a massive explosion. "We realized a rocket had landed nearby. Later we saw the house next to us, where ordinary people lived, had been completely destroyed. There are no military facilities here," she said.
Terleieva added: "Russia is a terrorist country that will not stop. We have seen how, for four consecutive years, and more than 11 years in total, Russia has been attacking a peaceful population. Ukrainians want to be independent and free. We are a good nation, we are resisting, but we can't withstand this war alone."
Terrorist Incident in Western Ukraine
In the western city of Lviv, officials are treating a large explosion on a central shopping street as a terrorist incident. The blast occurred around midnight near Lviv's opera house, killing a 23-year-old police officer and injuring 25 others, with 14 requiring hospitalization.
Authorities reported that when police responded to a reported break-in at a store, a bomb was detonated, followed by a second explosion designed to target emergency responders. Ukrainian Interior Ministry officials stated there is "every reason to believe that the crime was committed on the orders of Russia," while Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi called it "clearly an act of terrorism."
Strategic Stalemate Continues Despite Heavy Losses
Despite four years of all-out war, Russia remains far from achieving its original objectives in Ukraine, which included removing Zelenskyy's pro-western government. Moscow currently occupies approximately one-fifth of Ukrainian territory and continues incremental advances in eastern regions, despite suffering an estimated 1.2 million soldiers killed or injured.
In a recent interview, Zelenskyy told AFP that Ukraine was "definitely not losing" the conflict, pointing to recent territorial gains of about 116 square miles in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. The Ukrainian president emphasized that victory remained the ultimate goal, despite the enormous challenges facing his nation.
International Calls for Peace Intensify
Speaking in Rome, Pope Leo XIV described peace in Ukraine as "an urgent necessity" during his regular Sunday address. "Peace cannot be postponed... It must find space in hearts and be translated into responsible decisions," he told crowds in St. Peter's Square. The pontiff strongly renewed his appeal for weapons to fall silent, bombings to cease, and dialogue to strengthen the path to peace.
EU foreign ministers are scheduled to meet in Brussels to discuss the bloc's 20th round of sanctions against Moscow, hoping to approve the measures in time for Tuesday's invasion anniversary. However, Hungary's pro-Russian government continues to threaten veto power, creating significant diplomatic hurdles for European unity against Russian aggression.
