Kyiv, Ukraine
—
Ukrainian authorities said early Wednesday that Russia launched a major airstrike against Ukraine, knocking out power across much of the country, setting houses on fire and killing at least six people, including a 6-month-old infant.
The attack, which used drones, missiles and fighter jets, targeted vast swathes of the country, including the capital Kiev, and came hours after US President Donald Trump said his now-postponed summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin could be a “waste of time.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Wednesday’s attack targeted not only energy infrastructure but also “ordinary cities.” The airstrike killed six people and injured 17 others across Ukraine, he said.
“This night proves that Russia does not feel enough pressure to prolong the war,” Zelenskiy said on the TV program “X.”
Ukraine’s state-run energy company Ukrenergo said the attack had led to an emergency power outage in most parts of Ukraine.
DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company, said there was “significant” damage to one of its facilities in the Odesa region and energy workers were working to restore power.
Several residential areas in Ukraine’s capital and the greater Kyiv region were attacked, with fires breaking out in high-rise buildings as residents scrambled to evacuate, city officials said.
Two people were killed and 10 others were rescued after a 16-story house in Kyiv’s Dniprovsky district was hit by debris from a drone attack, causing a fire, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko and Kyiv City Hall said.
A woman, a 12-year-old girl and a 6-month-old infant were killed in a fire in their house during a strike in the Vrovary district of eastern Kyiv, Kyiv Region Military Administration Chief Mykola Kalashnik said.
An 83-year-old woman was rescued from a house on fire in the same area, Kalashnik said.
A 40-year-old man was killed and six others injured in a Russian airstrike in northeast Kharkiv, Olev Sinevov, head of the region’s military administration, added.
Katarina Maternovak, the European Union’s ambassador to Ukraine, spoke of “nights of terror” between Tuesday and Wednesday.
“I spent that night on the floor of my hotel bathroom, which became my refuge. Sirens blared nonstop and explosions shook the walls,” Maternovak wrote in a social media post.
Ukraine uses Storm Shadow missile
Just a few hours ago, Ukraine announced that it had used British-made Storm Shadow long-range missiles to target Russia’s Bryansk chemical plant, which produces gunpowder and other explosives.
Storm Shadow is a powerful air-launched missile with a range of 250 kilometers (155 miles) and was first used against targets inside Russia last November.
Without mentioning the power plant, the Bryansk region governor claimed on social media that Russia had “detected and destroyed 57 enemy aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles” during Tuesday’s attack on Ukraine. CNN has contacted the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment.
Russia’s latest attack on Ukraine comes as President Trump’s hopes of meeting with President Putin in the coming weeks have stalled, with administration officials telling CNN on Tuesday that there are “no plans” for a summit between the two countries “in the immediate future.”
President Trump said Tuesday he didn’t want the meeting to be a “waste of time.”
He hinted that he could still meet with the Russian leader, but said he thought that was no longer a top priority. The president told reporters, “We will notify you of future measures over the next two days.”
Days earlier, in a White House meeting with President Zelenskiy, Trump rejected Ukraine’s request for access to long-range Tomahawk missiles for now and insisted that Ukraine make territorial concessions to Russia to end the war, according to European officials briefed on the meeting.
Following Wednesday’s attack, President Zelenskiy called on the European Union and the United States to step up pressure on Russia.
“Right now, it is critical that the world not remain silent and come together to respond to Russia’s despicable attacks.”
