At least four civilians, including a child, were killed in a fresh wave of Russian missile and drone attacks across Ukraine overnight, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Ukraine’s air force said on Monday that Russian forces launched 11 ballistic missiles and 149 drones in a widespread assault targeting multiple regions of the country.
Civilian Casualties Across Regions
Officials said a woman and her 10-year-old son were killed when a drone struck a residential area in the eastern town of Bohodukhiv. In northern Ukraine’s Chernihiv region, a 71-year-old man also lost his life during the attacks.
In the southern port city of Odesa, one person was killed and two others were injured, according to regional governor Oleh Kiper. He said the strikes damaged residential buildings and a gas pipeline, describing the incident as “another war crime against civilians”.
Further east, drone strikes injured at least nine people, including a 13-year-old girl, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said.
There was no immediate response from Moscow. Russia has consistently denied deliberately targeting civilians since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Infrastructure and Power Disruptions
The overnight barrage caused widespread power outages, leaving tens of thousands of residents without electricity amid freezing winter temperatures. The attacks are part of Russia’s continued campaign against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure during the colder months.
Ukraine’s national railway operator also reported damage to rail facilities in the Sumy region and Chernihiv region, raising concerns over transport disruptions.
Diplomatic Fallout and Calls for Sanctions
Following the strikes, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha urged the European Union to impose a full entry ban on Russian combatants involved in the war.
“This will set the right price for the wrong choices,” Sybiha wrote in a post on X.
The attacks came despite ongoing peace efforts mediated by the United States. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump aims for Moscow and Kyiv to reach a deal by June.
Peace Talks Remain Stalled
Despite diplomatic efforts, negotiations remain deadlocked over territory seized by Russia in eastern Ukraine. Moscow has demanded that Kyiv cede the remaining portion of the Donetsk region under Ukrainian control, a proposal Kyiv has rejected.
Ukraine’s chief negotiator Rustem Umerov said further trilateral talks are expected in the coming weeks.
Separate Security Developments
In a related development on Sunday, the United Arab Emirates extradited a suspect accused of attempting to assassinate Russia’s deputy military intelligence chief, Vladimir Alekseyev.
Russia’s Federal Security Service has accused Ukraine of ordering the attack. Kyiv has acknowledged responsibility for some past operations inside Russia but denied involvement in the attempted killing of Alekseyev.
As fighting continues on the ground and diplomacy struggles to gain traction, Ukrainian officials warn that civilians remain at grave risk from ongoing aerial assaults.