In a dramatic escalation that threatens to derail renewed diplomatic efforts, Russian forces launched a series of missile and drone strikes across Ukraine late Sunday, just hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly proposed fresh peace talks aimed at ending the more than three-year-old war.
The wave of attacks, which targeted multiple cities including Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro, killed at least 27 civilians and injured more than 100, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service. Several residential buildings, a hospital, and a railway station were reportedly hit. Air raid sirens sounded throughout the night as Ukrainian air defenses scrambled to intercept dozens of drones and cruise missiles.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed the strikes were aimed at “military command centers and foreign weapons depots” used by what it continues to describe as the “Kyiv regime.” Ukrainian officials, however, say the attacks were indiscriminate and aimed at breaking civilian morale.
The timing of the strikes is widely seen as a direct response to Ukraine’s call for renewed negotiations. Earlier on Sunday, President Zelenskyy, speaking at an international security forum in Warsaw, proposed a new framework for talks that would involve international mediators and focus initially on humanitarian corridors and prisoner exchanges.
“We are prepared to sit down without preconditions to halt the bloodshed,” Zelenskyy said. “The people of Ukraine have suffered enough. But peace cannot come at the cost of our sovereignty.”
His offer was welcomed cautiously by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, who both emphasized the need for a diplomatic solution that respects Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Russia, however, responded with force rather than words.
The strikes have drawn sharp condemnation from Western leaders. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described Russia’s actions as “cynical and brutal,” accusing the Kremlin of “sabotaging peace before it has a chance to begin.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement: “Striking civilians within hours of a peace offer is not just an act of war—it’s an act of cruelty.”
China, one of the few major powers still maintaining strong ties with Moscow, called for “restraint from all parties” but stopped short of condemning the strikes. The Kremlin has not yet issued a formal response to Kyiv’s offer of talks.
Ukrainian officials said the attacks only strengthen their resolve. “Russia has once again shown that it speaks the language of missiles, not diplomacy,” said Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office. “We will defend our land and our people. But we will not close the door to peace.”
Ukrainian military sources said the country’s air defense systems successfully intercepted at least 60% of the incoming projectiles, preventing what could have been an even deadlier night. Still, power outages, damaged infrastructure, and evacuations have added to the country’s growing humanitarian toll.
The latest escalation comes at a time when the war appears locked in a bloody stalemate. Russian forces continue to control significant portions of Ukraine’s east and south, while Ukraine, buoyed by Western support and long-range capabilities, has intensified strikes into occupied Crimea and border regions of Russia.
With both sides appearing unwilling to make strategic concessions, analysts warn that the window for meaningful diplomacy may be closing.
“Zelenskyy’s offer was the most conciliatory we’ve heard in over a year,” said Oksana Solovei, a political analyst based in Kyiv. “Moscow’s violent rejection may signal that it’s still betting on battlefield outcomes rather than negotiated ones.”
As dawn breaks over Kyiv and the smoke clears, Ukraine mourns its dead once again—while the prospect of peace, however fragile, hangs by a thread.
