Escalating Violence Amid Peace Talks
Russia and Ukraine engaged in a dangerous exchange of military strikes early Tuesday, with heavy air raids targeting Kyiv and drone assaults hitting southern Russian regions. This escalation occurred just hours after former President Donald Trump suggested significant advancements were being made toward a ceasefire agreement between the warring nations.
Kyiv Under Attack
Ukrainian air defense systems worked frantically to protect the capital from combined missile and drone attacks, with loud explosions heard throughout the city. Authorities instructed residents to remain in shelters as the assault intensified. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that a residential apartment building sustained severe damage during the attacks, with firefighters battling blazes in several stores.
The mayor announced through Telegram that emergency power and water supply cuts were being implemented in various city districts as emergency crews responded to the destruction. The Energy Ministry additionally revealed that Russian forces launched a massive combined attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, promising restoration work would begin once security conditions permitted.
Russian Regions Targeted
Meanwhile, southern Russia experienced sustained suspected drone attacks overnight. In the Krasnodar region along Russia's Black Sea coast, six people were injured and at least 20 residential buildings damaged across five municipalities, according to Governor Veniamin Kondratyev. The crucial port of Novorossiysk was among the hardest-hit areas.
Neighboring Rostov region suffered even more severe consequences, with one person killed and three others injured in an air attack on Taganrog. The assault damaged residential buildings, two industrial enterprises, and a kindergarten, according to Mayor Svetlana Kambulova.
Diplomatic Maneuvers Continue
The military escalation unfolded against a backdrop of diplomatic activity. Trump had indicated in a social media post that big progress was being made on a deal for Ukraine, suggesting that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ukrainian officials made advances during Sunday meetings in Geneva toward defusing opposition to a 28-point peace proposal floated by the White House last week.
Ukrainian and European officials had been scrambling to draft a counter-offer providing less favorable terms to Russia, resulting in a winnowed-down, 19-point plan, according to sources familiar with the matter. Russian officials have since declared the revised plan unacceptable.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy acknowledged in his regular evening address that progress had been made in negotiations with U.S. and European partners. The list of necessary steps to end the war can become doable, Zelenskiy stated, noting that many right elements had been incorporated into the framework while emphasizing that the process must continue with dignity.
