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Ukraine accused the US of failing to warn it about Russian missile attacks and slowing Starlink services used by its military, as strikes killed five people in Kyiv and disrupted power supplies.

Ukraine accuses US of helping Russia as missiles hit Kyiv

Ukraine accused the US of failing to warn it about Russian missile attacks and slowing Starlink services used by its military, as strikes killed five people in Kyiv and disrupted power supplies.

Ukraine on Wednesday accused the United States of helping Russia, saying Washington failed to warn it of incoming missile strikes and slowed the Starlink system it relies on for its battlefield communications and frontline logistics.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday insisted Washington was still helping Ukraine while a US official told AFP on Wednesday that its policy had "not changed". The EU also said there were "no indications" sharing had stopped.
Ballistic missiles have now struck the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, for two nights running -- before air raid sirens could sound to warn people to take cover in basements, bomb shelters or metro stations.
Energy facilities were targeted, cutting power to more than 600,000, despite Trump's surprise announcement of an "energy ceasefire" in the nearly five-year conflict.
"Russia has never before shown such ostentatious disrespect toward the United States," said Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"Russia does not consider the American President's statements strong."
Zelensky said on Tuesday night that the lack of notice from Ukraine's Western partners about imminent Russian ballistic-missile launches was "completely unjust".
 - Jet-powered drones - The lack of warning has been reported only rarely over the course of the nearly five-year conflict and Ukrainian officials have suggested the Russian military's use of hard-to-detect missiles or potential technical issues could be to blame.
But one senior Ukrainian official pointed the finger at Washington after slower speeds were reported on Wednesday on some Starlink internet terminals used by its military.
"It's obvious they (the United States) are helping Russia for some reason," the official told AFP, following reports that Washington had threatened to pull intelligence-sharing that Kyiv relies on to detect incoming attacks.
Zelensky adviser Sergiy Beskrestnov linked the attacks and the Starlink restrictions, as the network was "the most effective solution" for protecting Ukraine against fast-moving Russian attack drones.
"Through their actions, our partners are depriving us of one of the few chances we have to defend the country against jet-powered Shahed drones," he wrote on Telegram.
Starlink's owner Elon Musk last weekend backed Trump, who has enraged Western allies by announcing a diesel-supply deal with heavily sanctioned Moscow, and blindsided both sides in the conflict by announcing an "energy ceasefire".
Trump also angrily hit out at Zelensky -- and even suggested he should be replaced as president -- over Ukrainian long-range attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, and urged him to stop.
 - Russia 'carefully noting' - Russia is watching for any sign Washington's backing for Ukraine may have shifted, the Kremlin said.
"We are carefully noting all this. It is too early to draw any systemic conclusions," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Five people were killed and dozens more wounded in Kyiv on Wednesday, the authorities said, while significant damage to facilities and equipment knocked out power to swathes of the city.
Power plants also came under ballistic-missile attack in the eastern Kharkiv region, hitting electricity and heating infrastructure, Prime Minister Sergiy Koretsky said.
NATO chief Mark Rutte urged alliance members to step up support for Ukraine's air defences.
"With winter coming and with Russia's aggression unrelenting, allies need to do more, especially in support of air defence," Rutte said.
Zelensky, expected in London on Wednesday for talks with UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, has said Ukraine is prepared to hold off from striking Russian energy infrastructure.
But he accused the Kremlin of having "squandered the opportunity for de-escalation".
Russia has previously targeted Ukraine's power stations and heating infrastructure, crippling supplies before winter, when temperatures can plummet to as low as -20C.
Ukraine has been pushing its allies for more military support as Kyiv increasingly comes under attack, particularly the supply of advanced interceptor systems to shoot down missiles and jet-powered drones.
Russian ballistic missile attacks were also reported in Zhytomyr in the northwest, and other strikes hit Sumy in the northeast and Chernigiv in the north.
Two people were killed in the central Dnipropetrovsk region and a further person in Zaporizhzhia in the southeast, the authorities said.
The governor of Russia's southwestern Saratov region, citing preliminary estimates, said a Ukrainian drone strike had killed one person in the city of Balakovo.
Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin said air defence forces had downed nearly 500 drones flying towards the Russian capital overnight.
Russian authorities said around 160 more were brought down over the Rostov region, while others targeted Moscow.

At least 20 people were killed in Russian strikes across Ukraine on Wednesday, including 14 in Pryluky after a missile destroyed a five-storey apartment building. Authorities said 50 people were wounded, including seven children.

Heavy casualties in Ukraine after Russian strikes

At least 20 people were killed in Russian strikes across Ukraine on Wednesday, including 14 in Pryluky after a missile destroyed a five-storey apartment building. Authorities said 50 people were wounded, including seven children.

At least 20 people were killed in Russian strikes across Ukraine on Wednesday, the authorities said, including 14 when a missile destroyed an apartment block in the north of the country.
Emergency services picked through the rubble of the flattened five-storey building in Pryluky, in the Chernigiv region, in a frantic search for survivors.
But hopes faded as the toll jumped by early afternoon.
"The death toll... has risen to 14, including four children," the state emergency services said. "Fifty people were wounded, including seven children."
Fifteen people, including a child, were rescued, they wrote on Telegram.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky had warned the public on Tuesday night that Russia was planning "massive" strikes, particularly against the country's energy infrastructure.
"The Russians wanted to strike painfully and demonstratively," he said on Wednesday, calling it "one of the most vile strikes" in the nearly five-year conflict.
Two people were killed when missiles slammed into high-rise buildings in Dnipro and Kremenchuk in central Ukraine, while two others lost their lives in Oleksandriya, he added.
In the capital, Kyiv, strikes killed two people.
Kyiv has come under increased attack in recent weeks as winter approaches, with air raid sirens wailing nearly constantly to warn of incoming Russian strikes.
Residents hunkered down in subway stations overnight, hauling duffel bags, sleeping mats and blankets, after air alerts sounded warning of attacks.
"We grabbed our things and came here, we live right next door," Iryna Rybalchenko, who works in a bank, told AFP, sitting on the platform wrapped in a dark hoodie and surrounded by bags.
"The whole of Kyiv is in a state of fear. We were stuck at work today and everyone &ndash;- our group chats, our bosses &ndash;- were messaging us to be careful."
Russia launched at least 50 missiles and 130 drones overnight against several regions including Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Poltava, Ukraine's air force said.
Zelensky said that although some were shot down, ballistic missiles were "the greatest challenge", and new air defences were "a vital necessity" to help Ukraine defend itself.
- 'Tearing Kyiv apart' -
The two victims in Kyiv died in a fire in the densely populated Darnytskyi neighbourhood as a result of Wednesday's attack, the city's mayor Vitaly Klitschko said.
He had warned last week the capital should now be on a war footing as the enemy was "tearing Kyiv apart" with strikes on bridges and energy infrastructure.
The renewed attacks had triggered scheduled power cuts on Tuesday, which plunged parts of Kyiv into darkness to ease the pressure on the battered grid.
A familiar rumbling sound of the generators, used to get through power cuts, filled the streets again, bringing back memories of the previous winter, when systematic Russian attacks regularly cut power and heating.
In the evening, Zelensky warned residents to monitor for air raid sirens, saying in his nightly address that "there is updated intelligence information regarding the preparation by the Russians of a massive strike".
Military monitoring channels also said they expected a large-scale Russian attack, combining cruise and ballistic missiles with fast-moving jet-powered drones.
Zelensky said the military was "ready to respond, to the extent that our defence systems allow".
The air force said in the morning that it intercepted five ballistic missiles, as well as 39 cruise missiles and over &nbsp;100 drones.
Ukraine has been struggling to down the new and fast-moving jet-powered drones, as well as the ballistic missiles that are harder to intercept.
"The children were absolutely terrified. Whenever there's heavy shelling, we try to head underground," Daria Medvedeva, 36, told AFP.
Concern has mounted about rising civilian casualties on both sides, as Ukraine also steps up its long-range attacks on Russian targets that it says are vital to its war effort.
Zelensky said Ukraine's "just responses" to Russian strikes saw it hit two oil facilities and a training ground in the Perm, Samara and Astrakhan regions, as well as the Black Sea.

Ukraine and Russia resume US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi to end the war, while Russia continues missile and drone strikes on Kyiv.

Ukraine, Russia, US start second day of war talks

Ukraine and Russia resume US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi to end the war, while Russia continues missile and drone strikes on Kyiv.

Ukraine and Russia on Thursday began a second day of US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi aimed at &nbsp;ending a war sparked by &nbsp;Moscow's 2022 invasion of its pro-Western neighbour.
The negotiations are the latest bid in diplomatic efforts to halt the fighting -- Europe's deadliest since World War II, with hundreds of thousands killed, millions forced to flee their homes and much of eastern and southern Ukraine left decimated.
"The second day of talks in Abu Dhabi has begun. We're working in the same formats as yesterday: trilateral consultations, group work, and subsequent alignment of positions," Ukraine's lead negotiator Rustem Umerov said.
The first day of talks in the Emirati capital concluded with Kyiv describing the negotiations as "substantive and productive", though there was no apparent breakthrough.
"There is definitely progress, things are moving forward in a good, positive direction," Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev told state media.
Dmitriev slammed what he called attempts from European nations to "disrupt the progress".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that 55,000 of his country's troops had been killed, a rare assessment of battlefield losses by either side.
 - 'Concrete steps' -
Russia has also stepped up strikes on Ukraine's power infrastructure, leaving many people, including residents of the capital Kyiv, without power and shivering through temperatures as low as minus 20C in recent days.
Overnight Russia attacked with two missiles and 183 drones, the air force said. The attacks injured two people in Kyiv.
Ukraine's chief negotiator Umerov said "concrete steps and practical solutions" had been discussed in the first day of the talks.
But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters fighting would persist "until the Kyiv regime makes the appropriate decisions".
The main sticking point in the negotiations is the long-term fate of territory in eastern Ukraine.
Moscow is demanding that Kyiv pull its troops out of swathes of the Donbas, including heavily fortified cities atop vast natural resources, before any deal.
It also wants international recognition that land seized in the invasion belongs to Russia.
 - 'Maintain pressure' -
Kyiv has said the conflict should be frozen along the current front line and has rejected a pull-back of forces.
Trilateral negotiations, which were first held January 23 and 24 in Abu Dhabi, are the most public sign of progress so far in US President Donald Trump's push to negotiate an end to the war.
His envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner have been sent to try to corral the sides into an agreement.
In Ukraine, foreign ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy Kyiv was "interested in finding out what the Russians and Americans really want".
Zelensky said the US president's role would be crucial, telling French television in an interview broadcast Wednesday that "Putin is only scared of Trump".
Trump could use economic sanctions against Russia or transfer weapons to Ukraine to "maintain this pressure on Putin", Zelensky said, but added that Kyiv would not compromise on sovereignty.
Russia occupies around 20 percent of Ukraine. It claims the Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as its own, and holds pockets of territory in at least three other Ukrainian regions in the east.
Kyiv still controls around one-fifth of the Donetsk region. It has warned that ceding ground will embolden Moscow, and that it will not sign a deal that fails to deter Russia from invading again.

Russia carried out its largest drone and missile attack of 2026 on Ukraine, cutting heating for hundreds of thousands amid freezing temperatures, just a day before a new round of US-backed peace talks in Abu Dhabi.

Russia launches major drone and missile attacks on Ukraine ahead of peace talks

Russia carried out its largest drone and missile attack of 2026 on Ukraine, cutting heating for hundreds of thousands amid freezing temperatures, just a day before a new round of US-backed peace talks in Abu Dhabi.

Russia launched its biggest drone and missile attack this year on Ukraine overnight, leaving hundreds of thousands without heating in freezing temperatures on Tuesday, just one day ahead of fresh talks aiming to find an end to the four-year war.
The strikes hit as Ukraine was experiencing the coldest temperatures during the Russian invasion and damaged an iconic Soviet-era WWII monument.
They also came a day before Ukrainian and Russian negotiators were due to meet for a second round of talks in Abu Dhabi.
"Taking advantage of the coldest days of winter to terrorise people is more important to Russia than turning to diplomacy," Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media, denouncing the attack.
AFP journalists heard explosions across the capital overnight and residents in over 1,000 buildings woke to find their heating cut off as temperatures dipped towards minus 20 Celsius.
The Kremlin had last week said it agreed to a US request not to strike Kyiv for seven days, ending Sunday.
Ukraine had not reported large-scale Russian attacks on the capital last week, while reporting continued attacks in other parts of the country.
"Several types of ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones, were used to strike high-rise buildings and thermal power plants," Energy Minister Denys Shmygal said.
"Hundreds of thousands of families, including children, were deliberately left without heat in the harshest winter frosts," he added.
Russia attacked with 71 missiles, as well as 450 attack drones, the Ukrainian air force said. Ukraine said it intercepted or destroyed 38 missiles and 412 drones.
Five people were wounded in the capital, officials said, adding that thousands were without electricity.
 - 'Symbolic and cynical' -
The base of the city's towering Soviet-era Motherland statue was damaged.
"It is both symbolic and cynical: the aggressor state strikes at a place of remembrance of the struggle against aggression in the 20th century, repeating its crimes in the 21st century," Culture Minister Tetyana Berezhna wrote on social media.
Russian strikes had this month repeatedly cut power and heating to tens of thousands of homes -- with Kyiv and its European allies accusing Moscow of deliberately freezing Ukraine's population.
Strikes also hit Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, temporarily cutting heating to some 100,000 subscribers.
The hours-long attack targeted energy infrastructure and aimed to "cause maximum destruction... and leave the city without heat during severe frost", Kharkiv Governor Oleg Synegubov wrote on Telegram.
Authorities had to cut heating to more than 800 homes to prevent the wider network from freezing, he said, urging people to go to round-the-clock "invincibility points" around the city if they needed to warm up.
Overnight temperatures plunged to minus 19C in Kyiv and sank as low as minus 23C in Kharkiv.
 - US-backed talks -
Washington has sought to craft a settlement between the two sides, but the first round of trilateral talks held in Abu Dhabi last weekend failed to yield a breakthrough.
A second round is due to begin on Wednesday in the Emirati capital.
Zelensky said on Monday that recent "de-escalation" with Russia was helping build trust in negotiations, apparently referring to a break in attacks on energy facilities.
The second round of talks is expected to focus on territory -- with no breakthrough so far on the crucial issue.
Russia wants full control of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, which Kyiv has ruled out, saying such a move would only embolden Moscow.
After failing in its aim of a lightning offensive to capture Kyiv and topple Ukraine's leadership in a matter of days in 2022, Russia has been bogged down in the face of Ukrainian defences and is now mounting a grinding advance that has come at huge human cost.
Moscow's troops accelerated their advance in Ukraine throughout January, capturing almost twice as much land as in the previous month, according to an AFP analysis.
Russia seized 481 square kilometres (186 square miles) in January, according to the analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War, which works with the Critical Threats Project.
The January gains were up from 244 square kilometres in December 2025 and one of the largest advances during a winter month since Russia invaded four years ago.

US President Donald Trump said Vladimir Putin agreed to halt attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities during an extreme cold snap, as Ukraine faces a growing humanitarian crisis and renewed peace talks.

Trump says Putin agrees to pause Kyiv strikes amid harsh cold

US President Donald Trump said Vladimir Putin agreed to halt attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities during an extreme cold snap, as Ukraine faces a growing humanitarian crisis and renewed peace talks.

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that Russia's Vladimir Putin agreed to a personal request to halt attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, after Moscow's strikes left millions without heating during an "extreme" cold snap.
Trump's claim comes as Russian strikes on Ukraine's power infrastructure have disrupted light, heating and water supplies, with temperatures plummeting and leaving the war-battered country facing a fresh humanitarian crisis.
The Kremlin did not immediately confirm any truce, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Trump and said he was counting on Washington to secure the pause in attacks.
"Because of the cold, extreme cold... I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kyiv and the cities and towns for a week during this," Trump told a cabinet meeting at the White House.
"They've never experienced cold like that. And I personally asked President Putin not to fire into Kyiv and the various towns for a week. And he agreed to do that, and I have to tell you, it was very nice," he added.
Ukraine's state weather agency on Thursday forecast a drastic dip in temperatures to as low as minus 30C in coming days as authorities race to restore services.
Trump, who met Putin in Alaska last year amid great fanfare but without achieving any breakthrough, said he trusted the Russian leader to honor the agreement.
"People said, 'don't waste the call. You're not going to get that.' And he did it," said Trump, without specifying when the conversation took place, or when the purported truce would start.
 - 'Make this happen' -
Zelensky, who met Trump in Davos last week despite patchy relations since their Oval Office bust-up nearly a year ago, thanked the US president for his "important statement."
"We hope the United States can make this happen," the Ukrainian leader said.
The pause had initially been discussed last weekend during three-way talks in Abu Dhabi between Russia, Ukraine and the United States, Zelensky said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also welcomed what he termed "efforts in favour of a truce".
Merz at the same time stressed that "the systematic and brutal destruction of Ukraine's civilian infrastructure by Russian attacks" was "still ongoing", which he condemned "in the strongest terms", his spokesman, Stefan Kornelius, said.
A second round of trilateral negotiations in Abu Dhabi is scheduled to begin on Sunday as Trump pushes his plan to end the nearly four-year-old invasion by Russia.
Putin met Emirati counterpart Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Moscow on Thursday ahead of those talks. The UAE has emerged as a key mediator in the war.
The talks come as Ukraine faces one of its most difficult periods since Russia's February 2022 invasion, with Moscow's forces grinding slowly on in the east and bitter cold closing in.
Zelensky warned in an evening address on Wednesday of fresh Russian attacks on energy facilities.
Russian attacks killed six people in central and southern Ukraine on Thursday, regional authorities and emergency services said.
But Trump has repeatedly said in recent days that he believes a ceasefire is possible.
At the cabinet meeting on Thursday, Trump said there had been "a lot of progress" in the talks.
Trump's roaming envoy Steve Witkoff said he was also confident there would be a truce, saying that the US president had a "friendship" with his Russian counterpart.
"The president, what he said, is true," he said in response to an AFP reporter at the premiere of a documentary about Trump's wife Melania.
"And I think that he and Vladimir Putin have a friendship, and I think that allows them to talk and to have a relationship that hopefully will help things out here, get to a settlement and save a lot of lives.'

Russia has reiterated its invitation to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky for peace talks in Moscow as US-led efforts continue in Abu Dhabi, amid ongoing fighting and unresolved territorial disputes.

Russia invites Ukraine President Zelensky to Moscow for peace talks

Russia has reiterated its invitation to Ukraine&rsquo;s President Volodymyr Zelensky for peace talks in Moscow as US-led efforts continue in Abu Dhabi, amid ongoing fighting and unresolved territorial disputes.

The Kremlin said on Thursday that Russia has reiterated its invitation to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to visit Moscow for peace talks, amid intensifying US-led efforts to broker an agreement to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine.
The statement came as Russia and Ukraine carried out their latest exchange of war dead, and hours after Moscow declined to comment on reports suggesting that the two sides had agreed to halt strikes on each other&rsquo;s energy infrastructure.
Washington-mediated peace talks held in Abu Dhabi last weekend have injected renewed momentum into diplomatic efforts to reach a settlement. However, major differences remain between the Russian and Ukrainian negotiating positions. Fierce fighting continues on the ground, while Ukraine is dealing with widespread power outages following recent missile attacks.
An unnamed US official told Axios on Saturday that Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin were &ldquo;very close&rdquo; to arranging a meeting following the US-mediated discussions.
Another round of talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiating delegations is scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. US President Donald Trump, who has been advocating for an end to what he has described as Europe&rsquo;s largest conflict since World War Two, said on Tuesday that &ldquo;very good things&rdquo; were happening in the peace process.
Despite these developments, significant disagreements remain unresolved. These include questions over territorial control in any future settlement, the possible deployment of international peacekeepers or monitors in post-war Ukraine, and the future of the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by the Interfax news agency, said on Thursday that Moscow has not yet received a response to its invitation for Zelensky to come to the Russian capital.
Zelensky had rejected a similar invitation last year, saying he could not go to the capital of a country that was firing missiles at Ukraine every day. At the time, he suggested that Putin travel to Kyiv instead.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said on Wednesday that any meeting between Putin and Zelensky would need to be carefully prepared and focused on achieving concrete results. He added that Zelensky&rsquo;s safety would be guaranteed if he visited Moscow.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the disagreement over territorial claims was the central issue and described it as &ldquo;very difficult&rdquo; to resolve.
Russia is seeking the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the roughly 20% of the Donetsk region that remains outside Russian military control.
Kyiv has stated that it does not want to concede territory that Russia has not captured on the battlefield, arguing that such areas could be used by Russian forces in the future to launch further advances into Ukraine.
Ushakov said on Thursday that he did not consider territorial issues to be the only major matter still under negotiation.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed doubts about the effectiveness of any security guarantees that the United States might offer Ukraine as part of a peace agreement. He said he questioned whether such guarantees could bring lasting stability if they were aimed at keeping Ukraine&rsquo;s current political leadership in power.
Meanwhile, Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed leader of Chechnya in southern Russia, called for continuing the war rather than pursuing peace, reflecting the views of some hardliners who believe Moscow is gaining the upper hand on the battlefield.
&ldquo;I believe the war must be taken to its conclusion,&rdquo; Kadyrov told reporters at the Kremlin. &ldquo;I am against negotiations.&rdquo;

At least three people were killed and 13 wounded after Russian air strikes hit Kyiv and its suburbs, prompting a countrywide missile alert as authorities urge residents to stay in shelters.

Russia bombards Kyiv after rejecting peacekeeping plan

At least three people were killed and 13 wounded after Russian air strikes hit Kyiv and its suburbs, prompting a countrywide missile alert as authorities urge residents to stay in shelters.

Russia hit Ukraine with its hypersonic Oreshnik missile overnight after rejecting the latest post-war peacekeeping plan, as part of a massive attack that set apartment blocks ablaze and killed at least four people in the capital Kyiv.
Ukraine and its Western allies, scrambling to bring an end to the war as it approaches the four-year mark, agreed this week that Europe would deploy troops after any ceasefire.
But Moscow, which says it launched its February 2022 invasion in part to prevent an expansion of the NATO defence treaty, has repeatedly rejected the idea of any Western forces stationed in Ukraine.
Such troops would be "considered legitimate military targets", Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned on Thursday, branding Ukraine and its American and European allies an "axis of war".
As diplomats wrangle for a breakthrough in what has been Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II, Russia has continued to press forward with its assault, bombarding Ukraine daily.
Russia's defence ministry said it had used the Oreshnik hypersonic missile on "strategic targets" overnight, saying the attacks were in response to a December drone strike on a resident of Russia's leader Vladimir Putin. Ukraine has denied it was behind that attack.
Moscow did not provide any other details on the attack, but Ukrainian authorities said an "infrastructure facility" had been struck near the western city of Lviv by a ballistic missile travelling at hypersonic speed.
In Kyiv, drone strikes across the city killed four people and wounded at least 24 others, including emergency rescuers, police said.
At a residential building on the city's left bank, a medic was killed while responding to a strike as the site was hit a second time.
Some neighbourhoods were plunged into darkness during what Mayor Vitali Klitschko described as a "massive enemy missile attack".
Across the border in Russia's Belgorod, the governor said more than half a million people were without power or heating after a Ukrainian attack targeted the region's utilities.
Nearly 200,000 people were also cut off from water supplies, Vyacheslav Gladkov added.
Ukraine's military put the entire country on missile alert early Friday after confirming Russian bombers were airborne.
In the western city of Lviv, the Ukrainian Air Force said a ballistic missile, travelling at about 13,000 kilometres (8,000 miles) per hour, struck "infrastructure facilities" just before midnight.
The regional military administration said afterwards that radiation levels were within normal range.
Russia used an Oreshnik with a conventional warhead to strike the city of Dnipro in central Ukraine in late 2024.
 - ' Quite far' from any deal -
Russia's latest barrage came after the US Embassy in Kyiv warned on Thursday that a "potentially significant air attack" could occur any time within the next several days.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had echoed the rare warning in his evening address.
Ukraine was still scrambling to restore heating and water to hundreds of thousands of households after strikes targeted energy facilities in Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
"This is truly a national level emergency," Borys Filatov, mayor of Dnipropetrovsk's capital Dnipro, said as families were left without power in the frigid depths of winter.
While Zelensky has said an agreement between Kyiv and Washington for US security guarantees was "essentially ready for finalisation", German Chancellor Friedrich Merz acknowledged a ceasefire deal was still "quite far" given Russia's position.
Moscow baulked after European leaders and US envoys announced this week that post-war guarantees for Ukraine would include a US-led monitoring mechanism and a multinational force.
In its first response after a summit in Paris, Russia called the plan "dangerous" and "destructive".
Key territorial issues also appear unresolved.
Russia, which occupies around 20 percent of Ukraine, has insisted on full control of the Donbas region as part of any settlement, a term Kyiv rejects.
Russia's army claimed to have captured another village in the Dnipropetrovsk region on Thursday as its grinding advance continues.

Russian bombardment kills two people near Kyiv as air defences activate nationwide, just ahead of a key European diplomatic summit in Paris aimed at advancing Ukraine peace talks.

Russia strikes Kyiv region ahead of Paris peace talks, two killed

Russian bombardment kills two people near Kyiv as air defences activate nationwide, just ahead of a key European diplomatic summit in Paris aimed at advancing Ukraine peace talks.

Russia bombarded Ukraine early Monday, killing two people in the Kyiv region, authorities said on the eve of a diplomatic summit in France.
A countrywide siren was issued just after midnight, while Ukraine's military said air defences were operating in several places.
In the capital, a private medical facility caught fire as a result of the Russian strikes, killing one person and wounding three others, the State Emergency Service of Kyiv said. It released images of rescuers removing people on stretchers from a gutted building.
Another pre-dawn attack on the neighbouring city of Fastiv killed one man in his 70s, according to Kyiv regional governor Mykola Kalashnyk.
The strikes caused power outages in the area, with backup systems activated to maintain water and heating supplies, the official said, as temperatures dropped to -8C.
The attacks came on the eve of a meeting of European leaders in Paris as they seek a breakthrough on a peace plan Kyiv says is "90 percent" ready.
To lay the groundwork, security advisers from 15 countries, including Britain, France and Germany as well as representatives from NATO and the European Union, gathered in Kyiv over the weekend.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff joined the talks virtually, a Ukrainian official told AFP, though the United States' large-scale military attack on Venezuela earlier in the day overshadowed proceedings.
Another preparatory meeting, between chiefs of staff, is scheduled for Monday.
Diplomatic efforts to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II have gained pace in recent weeks, though both Moscow and Kyiv remain at odds over the key issue of territory in a post-war settlement.
Russia, which occupies around 20 percent of Ukraine, is pushing for full control of the country's eastern Donbas region as part of a deal.
But Kyiv has warned that ceding ground will embolden Moscow and said it will not sign a peace deal that fails to deter Russia from invading again.
 - Trump refutes strike on Putin home -
Bombarded daily and losing ground, Ukraine has responded with its own drone attacks launched towards Russian territory, targeting in particular energy infrastructure that funds the war effort.
Russia's defence ministry said it has downed Ukrainian drones targeting the Moscow region every day of 2026, and claims to have shot several hundred -- an unusually high number -- over the weekend.
The Kremlin published a video of a downed drone it said Ukraine had launched at the home of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Novgorod region, adding that the property was not damaged and the leader was elsewhere at the time.
Kyiv refuted the allegation, and its European allies expressed scepticism.
Asked about it on Sunday, US President Donald Trump said that "something" had happened near Putin's residence, but after reviewing the evidence, American officials did not believe it had been targeted by Ukraine.
"I don't believe that strike happened," Trump said in response to a reporter's question aboard Air Force One.
Russia has also accused Kyiv of firing drones at a hotel and cafe in the Moscow-held part of Ukraine's southern Kherson region early Thursday, killing what it said were 28 people celebrating the New Year. Ukraine says it was a military gathering.
Moscow accuses Kyiv of being insincere in its peace efforts, while Ukraine says Russia is trying to scupper the diplomatic momentum to end the conflict.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, describing it as a "special military operation" to prevent the expansion of NATO.
Russia made bigger advances on the battlefield last year than any other year since it launched its invasion, according to an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War.

Russia accused Ukraine of launching dozens of drones at a residence of President Vladimir Putin, a claim Kyiv denied as fabricated, as US-led peace efforts face fresh strain.

Russia says Ukraine attacked Putin's home, Kyiv calls this 'lie'

Russia accused Ukraine of launching dozens of drones at a residence of President Vladimir Putin, a claim Kyiv denied as fabricated, as US-led peace efforts face fresh strain.

Russia accused Ukraine on Monday of having fired dozens of drones at one of President Vladimir Putin's residences, an accusation that Ukraine called a "lie" aimed at undermining US-led efforts to end the war.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who does not typically announce drone strikes, said Ukraine had fired "91 long-range unmanned aerial vehicles" at Putin's home in the Novgorod region between late Sunday and early Monday, all of which were shot down.
"Given the complete degeneration of the criminal Kyiv regime, which has shifted to a policy of state terrorism, Russia's negotiating position will be reconsidered," Lavrov said, without elaborating or providing evidence for Russia's assertions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Russia's claim "a complete fabrication" designed to undermine the peace process, but US President Donald Trump -- who held a call with Putin earlier Monday -- directed his criticism at Kyiv.
"I don't like it. It's not good," Trump told reporters of the alleged attack at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. "You know who told me about it? President Putin told me about it."
"It's a delicate period of time. This is not the right time," Trump added.
Russia's accusation comes at a pivotal moment in the peace process.
Ukraine says it has agreed to 90 percent of a US-drafted peace plan -- including the issue of post-war security guarantees.
But the issue of territory remains unresolved, and Russia -- which has been advancing on the battlefield for months -- has repeatedly rejected plans that do not yield to its maximalist demands.
In his call with Trump on Monday, Putin said he was still committed to the peace process but would "revise" Russia's negotiating position in light of the alleged drone attack, according to the Kremlin.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, describing it as a "special military operation" to demilitarise the country and prevent the expansion of NATO.
Kyiv and its European allies say the war, the largest and deadliest on European soil since World War II, is an unprovoked and illegal land grab that has resulted in a tidal wave of violence and destruction.
 - Territory main sticking point -
Trump said a peace deal was "very close" following talks with Zelensky on Sunday.
Zelensky announced on Monday the United States had finally promised security guarantees in a post-war settlement -- albeit for 15 years, with the possibility of an extension.
But the key issue of territory and the future of the Moscow-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine remains unresolved.
Putin has been pushing for full control of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region as part of a post-war settlement and said Monday that his army still aimed to take it and three other Ukrainian regions Moscow claims as its own by force.
In Kyiv, where residents have been living under relentless Russian attacks for almost four years, few were hopeful of a breakthrough.
"Security guarantees have already been signed before -- and what did that give us? Absolutely nothing," photographer Anastasiia Pashchenko told AFP.
In Moscow, where criticism of Russia's invasion is banned, residents told AFP they wanted the fighting to end, but on the Kremlin's terms.
"Only Russia can put forward some conditions," said 53-year-old engineer Alexei.
Nikita, a 23-year-old who fought in Ukraine for a year, lauded Russia's advance in eastern Ukraine, even if it came "at a cost".
"Russia is a superpower that still needs to be reckoned with," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin that India supports a peaceful resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacy during their annual summit in New Delhi.

India not neutral, it is on side of peace: PM Modi to Putin on Ukraine conflict

Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin that India supports a peaceful resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacy during their annual summit in New Delhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday strongly backed the latest efforts to end the war in Ukraine and conveyed to Russian President Vladimir Putin that India will stand shoulder-to-shoulder in all peace efforts to find an amicable solution to the conflict.
The Ukraine issue figured prominently at the annual summit talks between the two leaders that is aimed at further shoring up a nearly eight-decade bilateral partnership that remained in firm footing notwithstanding fractious geopolitical environment and tensions.
In his televised opening remarks at the summit, Modi said India is not neutral as it is on the side of peace to end the Ukraine conflict.
"We have been holding discussions following the start of the Ukraine conflict. As a close friend, you have been regularly apprising us on the situation. I think trust is a major strength," Modi said.
"We all should find the path of peace. I am aware of the latest efforts and I am confident that the world will turn to peace," he said.
"I have always said that India is not neutral; India has a side and that side is peace. We support all peace efforts and we are standing shoulder-to-shoulder in all peace efforts," he said.
On his part, the Russian president said Moscow is working towards a peaceful solution to the conflict.
Putin was accorded a red carpet welcome on Thursday evening on his first visit to India in four years. It is also his first trip to India since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022.
PM Modi personally received the Russian leader with a hug at the Palam airport before travelling together in a white SUV to the prime minister's official residence for a private dinner.
The conversation between the two leaders over dinner is known to have set the tone for the 23rd India-Russia summit talks that is expected to produce a number of tangible outcomes to further broadbase the time-tested relationship.
Boosting defence ties, insulating India-Russia trade from external pressure and exploring cooperation in small modular reactors are set to be the focus of the summit.
The Russian leader's visit to New Delhi has assumed greater significance as it is taking place against the backdrop of rapid downturn in India-US relations.
Following the Modi-Putin talks, the two sides are expected to ink a plethora of agreements, including one on facilitating the movement of Indian workers to Russia, and another on logistical support under a broader framework of defence cooperation.
It is learnt that under the trade basket, Indian exports to Russia are expected to significantly increase in areas of pharma, agriculture, food products and consumer goods.
The move comes amid concerns in New Delhi over a ballooning trade deficit in favour of Russia. India's annual procurement of goods and services from Russia amounts to around USD 65 billion, while Russia's imports from India stand at around USD 5 billion.
Officials said India is also looking at boosting cooperation in the fertiliser sector. Russia supplies three to four million tonnes of fertilisers to India annually.
The Indian and Russian sides are also likely to discuss New Delhi's proposed free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union.

Russia launched overnight missile and drone attacks on Kyiv, killing six, while three died in Russia’s Rostov region amid Ukrainian strikes. Ukraine and its allies are reviewing a revised US peace plan aimed at upholding Kyiv’s sovereignty.

Russia Strikes Kyiv: Residential and Energy Targets Hit

Kyiv Under Attack: Residential and Energy Targets Hit

Russia launched overnight missile and drone attacks on Kyiv, killing six, while three died in Russia&rsquo;s Rostov region amid Ukrainian strikes. Ukraine and its allies are reviewing a revised US peace plan aimed at upholding Kyiv&rsquo;s sovereignty.

Russia rained missiles and drones overnight on Kyiv, killing six people, authorities said Tuesday, as three people died in Russia's Rostov region in massive Ukrainian strikes.
The heightened attacks came after US President Donald Trump initially gave Kyiv until November 27 -- the American holiday of Thanksgiving -- to respond to his proposal to end the fighting, a timeline and blueprint that European leaders have baulked at.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military administration, said four people died and at least three were wounded in the Svyatoshynsky district. Emergency services earlier said two people died in a strike on an apartment building in the eastern Dniprovsky quarter.
Before dawn Tuesday, Russia's defence ministry said it had intercepted and destroyed 249 Ukrainian drones -- one of the highest figures reported.
In Russia's Rostov region, acting governor Yuri Sliusar said at least three people were killed, adding: "Tonight's enemy attack brought great grief".
In the Krasnodar frontier region, Governor Veniamin Kondratyev called the overnight bombardment "one of the Kyiv regime's most sustained and massive attacks".
Kyiv and its allies spent the weekend hammering away at Washington's 28-point plan, which initially hewed close to Russia's hardline demands, requiring the invaded country to cede territory, cut its military and pledge never to join NATO.
An updated version, aiming to "uphold Ukraine's sovereignty", was thrashed out over the weekend at emergency talks in Geneva.
Countries supporting Kyiv are due to hold a video call Tuesday to discuss the state of the plan.
 - 'Russia will not ease pressure' -
"We must be cognisant that Russia will not ease its pressure on Ukraine," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Zelensky has described his country as being in a "critical moment", saying Ukraine risked losing either its "dignity" or Washington as an ally.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who welcomed the original US plan to end the fighting, has threatened to seize more Ukrainian territory if Kyiv walks away from the negotiations.
Russia's military already occupies around a fifth of Ukraine -- much of it ravaged by years of fighting.
Kyiv and its European allies say the war, the largest and deadliest on European soil since World War II, is an unprovoked and illegal land grab.
Tens of thousands of civilians and military personnel have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
 - Revised plan -
Ukrainian, American and European officials met in Switzerland Sunday after the US proposal to halt the war was widely criticised as requiring too much capitulation.
A joint US-Ukrainian statement after the weekend talks announced an "updated and refined peace framework".
While the latest draft has not been published, the White House hailed it as progress, and the joint statement affirmed "any future agreement must fully uphold Ukraine's sovereignty".
Kyiv's delegation said the latest draft "already reflects most of Ukraine's key priorities".
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had thrown doubt on the ability to strike a deal by Trump's November 27 deadline, saying that discussions would be a "lengthy, long-lasting process".
The United States had bypassed Europe with the original plan, and many EU governments were unsettled by the prospect of ending the war on Moscow's terms.
The White House has pushed back on criticism that Trump was favouring Russia.
"The idea that the United States of America is not engaging with both sides equally in this war to bring it to an end is a complete and total fallacy," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday.
A senior official told AFP the United States had pressed Ukraine to accept the proposal.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Washington did not directly threaten to cut off aid if Kyiv rejected its proposals, but that Ukraine understood this was a distinct possibility.

A leaked 28-point peace plan backed by US President Donald Trump proposes Ukraine giving up eastern territories, reducing its army, and pledging not to join NATO.

Ukraine would give Russia chunk of territory under 28-point US plan

A leaked 28-point peace plan backed by US President Donald Trump proposes Ukraine giving up eastern territories, reducing its army, and pledging not to join NATO.

Ukraine would give up a swathe of eastern territory to Russia and slash the size of its army under a sweeping 28-point peace plan backed by US President Donald Trump, according to a draft obtained by AFP.
Kyiv would also pledge never to join NATO, and would not get the Western peacekeepers they have called for, although European warplanes would be stationed in Poland to protect Ukraine.
Russia would meanwhile be readmitted to the G8 group of nations and be rewarded with sanctions relief under the plan, which US officials said was still a "working document."
The proposal involves major concessions by Kyiv, which has previously refused to cede any land, while appearing to meet many of Moscow's maximalist demands following its 2022 invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he expected to discuss the plan with Trump "in coming days." He said any deal must bring a "dignified peace" that respected Kyiv's sovereignty.
The White House denied reports it had cooked up the proposal with Moscow, saying envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been "quietly" working with both sides for the past month.
"The president supports this plan. It's a good plan for both Russia and Ukraine," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
Trump himself would preside over a "peace council" to oversee the ceasefire, similar to the one proposed for the Gaza truce between Israel and Hamas, according to the plan.
 - Territory -
Key parts of the proposal correspond to Moscow's previous demands and cross Ukraine's red lines.
These include that Ukraine would withdraw from the Lugansk and Donetsk regions, the frontline industrial belt known collectively as the Donbas that Ukraine still partly holds.
The two regions and Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, "will be recognized as de facto Russian, including by the United States," while a demilitarized zone would be created in the Donbas.
The war-torn southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia -- which Russia falsely claims to have annexed -- will be "frozen along the line of contact," it said.
Russia's army occupies around a fifth of Ukraine -- much of it ravaged by years of fighting.
 - Ukraine security -
Ukraine had been hoping for European-led peacekeepers but Russia's refusal to accept any such force also wins out in the plan.
NATO would agree not to station troops in Ukraine, while the country would be barred from joining NATO by both its own constitution and the alliance's statutes.
Kyiv meanwhile would reduce its army by a little less than half, to 600,000 personnel.
In return, Ukraine would receive "reliable security guarantees," the plan says without specifying, but "European fighter jets" would be stationed in neighboring Poland.
Ukraine would also have to hold elections in 100 days -- a further Russian demand and one echoed by Trump, who called Zelensky a "dictator without elections" earlier this year.
Amid a spiralling corruption scandal in Ukraine that has claimed the jobs of two ministers, Kyiv had meanwhile removed language about an audit of foreign aid and replaced it with a call for a "full amnesty," a senior US official told AFP.
 - G8 return for Russia? -
Under the proposal, Russia would be "reintegrated into the global economy" and be allowed back into the G8, from which it was expelled in 2014 after the annexation of Crimea.
Sanctions would snap back if it invades Ukraine again.
Yet Russia meanwhile faces few military restrictions under the plan, which says only that "it is expected that Russia will not invade neighboring countries."
The contents of the proposal plan have fuelled suggestions that Moscow was involved in drafting it.
"It seems that the Russians proposed this to the Americans, they accepted it," a senior Ukrainian source told AFP.
But US officials insisted all sides were involved. Zelensky also met a Pentagon delegation headed by US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll in Kyiv on Thursday.
The timing has also raised questions, coming as the corruption row rattles Zelensky and Russia pushes forward with its grinding offensive.
On the ground, Russia claimed Thursday to have recaptured the key city of Kupiansk in eastern Ukraine -- which Kyiv denied -- as Putin visited an army command post to speak with officers.
A Russian strike on the city of Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine on Thursday killed five people and wounded three others, emergency services said.
Since returning to the White House, Trump's position on the Ukraine war has shifted dramatically back and forth.
He rowed with Zelensky in the Oval Office in February but has also shown increasing frustration with Putin after a summit in Alaska produced no results.

A massive Russian aerial strike on Kyiv hit critical infrastructure, causing widespread blackouts and water cuts, as Ukraine faces escalating drone and missile attacks.

'Massive Russian attack' cuts power in Ukrainian capital Kyiv

A massive Russian aerial strike on Kyiv hit critical infrastructure, causing widespread blackouts and water cuts, as Ukraine faces escalating drone and missile attacks.

The Ukrainian capital was plunged into darkness early Friday by what the air force called a "massive attack", as Russia pummeled Kyiv's infrastructure, cutting off water and energy supplies.
The Kremlin has escalated aerial attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities and rail systems over recent weeks, mirroring similar campaigns launched over the previous three winters that left people without heating in frigid temperatures.
AFP journalists in Kyiv heard several powerful explosions on Friday and experienced blackouts at their homes across different districts of the city.
"The capital of the country is under an enemy ballistic missile attack and a massive attack by the enemy strike drones," the Ukrainian air force said, urging people in Kyiv to remain in shelters.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said Russian forces had targeted "critical infrastructure" and wounded at least nine people, five of whom were taken to hospital.
"The left bank of the capital is without electricity. There are also problems with water supply," Klitschko posted on Telegram.
Ukrainian Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk said Russian forces were "inflicting a massive strike" on the grid.
"Energy workers are taking all necessary measures to minimise the negative consequences," Grynchuk wrote on Facebook.
"As soon as security conditions allow, energy workers will begin clarifying the consequences of the attack and restoration work," she said.
Fearing an incoming hypersonic Kinzhal missile -- which are harder to detect and intercept -- Ukraine put the entire country on alert on Friday.
Russia also hit the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia with at least seven overnight drone strikes, killing a seven-year-old and wounding at least three people, according to Ivan Fedorov, the head of the regional military administration.
 - 'Create chaos' -
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that Moscow was seeking to "create chaos and apply psychological pressure" through crippling energy facilities and railways.
According to Zelensky, Russian attacks this year have already strained Ukrainian gas infrastructure, and more strikes could force his country to ramp up imports.
Ukraine has also stepped up its drone and missile strikes on Russian territory, a tactic that Zelensky said was showing "results" and pushing up fuel prices in Russia.
A Ukrainian hit on a power station in the Russian border region of Belgorod also caused power outages.
Russia accused Ukraine on Thursday of rupturing a now-defunct pipeline near the frontline used to transport ammonia into Ukraine for export, releasing toxic gas.
It posted a video showing what appeared to be clouds of a chemical compound spewing from a source in the ground.
Authorities in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region said the incident did not present a "menace to the lives of people" living nearby.
 - Frontline evacuations -
Citing a recent uptick in Russian drone attacks, Ukrainian authorities ordered the evacuation of children and their guardians from Kramatorsk, the largest civilian hub in the Donetsk region still under Kyiv's control.
In Sloviansk, another Donbas city under Ukrainian control, the mayor recently advised children and elderly people to leave, citing incessant attacks on the energy system.
Ukrainian authorities said Russia is increasingly deploying small, cheap first-person-view drones that have dramatically changed the character of fighting across the sprawling front line over recent months.
A Ukrainian delegation led by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko is expected to visit the United States early next week to discuss, among other topics, energy and air defense under intensifying Russian strikes.
US President Donald Trump said Thursday that Washington and NATO allies were "stepping up the pressure" to end the war in Ukraine, though his attempts to negotiate with Russia's Vladimir Putin have so far failed to achieve a ceasefire.
Trump hosted Putin in Alaska in August, after which Russia's attacks on Ukraine escalated.
Russia said this week that momentum towards a peace deal had largely vanished.

A 22-year-old Indian from Gujarat, identified as Majoti Sahil Mohamed Hussein, surrendered to Ukrainian troops after serving briefly with the Russian military.

Indian man fighting alongside Russian military surrenders to Ukrainian forces

A 22-year-old Indian from Gujarat, identified as Majoti Sahil Mohamed Hussein, surrendered to Ukrainian troops after serving briefly with the Russian military.

An Indian national fighting alongside the Russian military surrendered to Ukrainian forces, the Ukrainian military said on Tuesday.
The 63rd Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian military, on its Telegram channel, released a video of the Indian national who identified himself as Majoti Sahil Mohamed Hussein from Gujarat.
There was no word from Indian officials on the matter.
Official sources said the Indian embassy in Kyiv was ascertaining the veracity of the report.
It has not received any formal communication from Ukrainian authorities on the matter, they said.
The Ukrainian military said 22-year-old Hussein came to Russia to study at a university, The Kyiv Independent newspaper reported.
In the video, Hussein said he was sentenced to seven years in a Russian prison on drug-related charges and was offered the opportunity to sign a contract with the Russian military to avoid further punishment.
"I didn't want to stay in prison, so I signed a contract for the special military operation. But I wanted to get out of there," Hussein said.
After 16 days of training, Hussein was sent on his first combat mission on October 1, and it lasted three days.
Following a fight with his commander, he surrendered to Ukrainian troops.
"I came across a Ukrainian trench position about two to three kilometres away," he said.
"I immediately put down my rifle and said that I didn't want to fight. I needed help. I don't want to go back to Russia," he added.
The 63rd Mechanised Brigade in its Telegram post said Hussein studied in Russia, but was caught with drugs.
"In order not to go to prison, he went to war," the post said.
The Ministry of External Affairs last month said that India had strongly called upon Russia to release and repatriate 27 Indian nationals currently serving with the Russian Army.
There have been reports that some Indians on student and business visas were forced into joining Russian military units deployed on the frontlines of the war in Ukraine.
India has been repeatedly asking Russia to release all Indians serving as support staff, such as cooks and helpers, with Russian military units.
The issue was raised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Russia last year as well.
According to official data, the number of Indians recruited by the Russian military is now more than 150.
At least 12 Indians were killed while fighting on the frontlines of the conflict in Ukraine, while 96 were discharged by Russian authorities.
Another 16 have been listed as missing.&nbsp;

Poland scrambled jets to intercept hostile Russian drones violating its airspace near Ukraine, marking the first NATO country to respond militarily during the conflict.

Poland Intercepts Russian Drones Breaching Airspace Amid Heightened Tensions

Poland Intercepts Russian Drones in Airspace Breach

Poland scrambled jets to intercept hostile Russian drones violating its airspace near Ukraine, marking the first NATO country to respond militarily during the conflict.

Poland said Wednesday it had scrambled aircraft alongside allies to shoot down "hostile objects" violating its airspace during a Russian attack on neighbouring Ukraine, a first for a NATO country during the war.
Ukraine warned that Russia's leader was "testing the West" and called for its allies to mount a strong response or risk Russian drones flying "even further into Europe".
The incursion came as Russia unleashed a barrage of strikes across Ukraine, including in the western city of Lviv, around 50 miles (80 kilometres) from the Polish border.
"Aircraft have used weapons against hostile objects," Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on social media, adding: "We are in constant contact with NATO command."
Russian drones and missiles have entered the airspace of NATO members -- including Poland -- several times during Russia's three-and-a-half-year war, but a NATO country has never attempted to shoot them down.
A cornerstone of the Western military alliance is the principle that an attack on any member is deemed an attack on all.
The operational command of Poland's military slammed the "unprecedented" airspace violations, saying it had spotted around a dozen drone-type objects, some of which were shot down.
"This is an act of aggression that has created a real threat to the safety of our citizens," it said.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed that weapons had been used against the invading objects, saying on social media that an "operation related to multiple violations of Polish airspace is underway".
The Polish government announced it will hold an "extraordinary" cabinet meeting at 8:00 am (0600 GMT).
The Polish army said around the same time that it had finished intercepting the drones in its airspace.
 - 'Provocation' -
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga wrote on X that the incursion showed "that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's sense of impunity keeps growing because he was not properly punished for his previous crimes".
"Putin just keeps escalating, expanding his war, and testing the West," Sybiga said. "The longer he faces no strength in response, the more aggressive he gets."
"A weak response now will provoke Russia even more -- and then Russian missiles and drones will fly even further into Europe," he added.
Polish authorities closed the airspace over part of the country, according to a statement from Warsaw's main Chopin Airport, where flights were halted.
The incident came a day after Poland's newly elected nationalist President Karol Nawrocki warned that Putin was ready to invade more countries after launching his war in Ukraine.
"We do not trust Vladimir Putin's good intentions," Nawrocki told reporters Tuesday at a press conference in Helsinki.
"We believe that Vladimir Putin is ready to also invade other countries."
NATO-member Poland, a major supporter of Ukraine, hosts over a million Ukrainian refugees and is a key transit point for Western humanitarian and military aid to the war-torn country.
Last month, Warsaw said a Russian military drone flew into its airspace and exploded in farmland in eastern Poland, calling the incident a "provocation".
Poland in 2023 said a Russian missile had crossed into its airspace to strike Ukraine.
And in November 2022, two civilians were killed when a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile fell on a village near the border.

At least 20 killed in a Russian airstrike on Donetsk’s Yarova settlement, says Zelensky, urging strong global action against Moscow.

Deadly Russian Glide Bomb Attack Kills 21 in Eastern Ukraine

Russian Glide Bomb Devastates Ukraine Village

At least 20 killed in a Russian airstrike on Donetsk&rsquo;s Yarova settlement, says Zelensky, urging strong global action against Moscow.

A Russian strike on Tuesday in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region killed at least 20 people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a social media post, the latest massive deadly strike amid stalled peace efforts.
Moscow has claimed the industrial region as part of Russia despite not having full control over it, and Kyiv says the Kremlin has massed 100,000 troops at a key part of the front line for a fresh offensive.
"A brutally savage Russian airstrike with an aerial bomb on the rural settlement of Yarova in the Donetsk region. Directly on people. Ordinary civilians. At the very moment when pensions were being disbursed," Zelensky said in his post.
"According to preliminary information, more than 20 people were killed," the Ukrainian leader added.
The governor of the Donetsk region said 21 people had been killed and that the same number of people had been wounded.
Zelensky posted amateur video from the scene showing corpses strewn across the ground and a burned-out minivan near a playground, with personal belongings, papers, and shoes scattered all around.
AFP could not independently verify the images posted by Ukrainian officials.
Yarova, which lies approximately eight kilometres (nearly five miles) from the front line, had a pre-war population of around 1,900 people.
Zelensky urged Ukraine's allies to issue a response to the attack.
"A response is needed from the United States. A response is needed from Europe. A response is needed from the G20," he said.
 - 'Strong actions' -
"Strong actions are needed to make Russia stop bringing death," Zelensky added.
A spokesman for the Ukrainian postal network, Ukrposhta, confirmed to AFP that one of their vehicles was damaged in the attack and an employee had been hospitalised.
Ukrposhta delivers public services in frontline regions, including the distribution of pension payments.
Russia has been steadily advancing in the eastern Donetsk region for months, concentrating its firepower on the territory and deploying troops from other parts of the front line, Kyiv has said.
Authorities in Donetsk have been appealing to civilians to flee the fighting since the early days of Russia's invasion in February 2022.
Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky said this week that Russian forces outnumbered Ukrainian troops threefold in some areas of the front, and by six times in regions where Moscow has concentrated its forces.
US President Donald Trump has tried to find a way to end the war in recent weeks but has little to show for his efforts.
The strike comes just days after a Russian missile crashed into the Ukrainian government headquarters in central Kyiv, the first time the complex had been hit in the three-and-a-half-year war.
Tens of thousands have been killed and millions force from their homes in Europe's bloodiest conflict since World War II.

Russia claimed it destroyed Ukraine’s Simferopol reconnaissance ship with a drone boat in the Danube estuary, marking Moscow’s first confirmed naval drone strike.

Moscow deploys drone boat for first time, sinks Ukrainian Navy ship

Russia claimed it destroyed Ukraine&rsquo;s Simferopol reconnaissance ship with a drone boat in the Danube estuary, marking Moscow&rsquo;s first confirmed naval drone strike.

Russia on Thursday said it carried out a drone boat strike on a Ukrainian Navy reconnaissance vessel in the Danube River estuary, marking the first confirmed use of such weapons by Moscow.
The Russian Defense Ministry (MoD) claimed that the medium reconnaissance ship Simferopol was sunk.
&ldquo;Using a high-speed uncrewed surface (USV) vehicle, the Ukrainian Navy&rsquo;s Simferopol medium reconnaissance ship was defeated at the River Danube mouth,&rdquo; the ministry said. &ldquo;As a result of the attack, the Ukrainian ship sank.&rdquo;
Ukraine acknowledged the strike but did not provide details on how the attack was carried out. &ldquo;We confirm the fact of the strike on the ship,&rdquo; Ukrainian Navy spokesman Dmitry Pletenchuk told Ukrinform.
&ldquo;Currently, the elimination of the consequences of the attack is ongoing. The overwhelming majority of the crew is safe. The search for several sailors continues. Unfortunately, one crew member was killed, and several were wounded.&rdquo;
Two videos circulated on social media showed the moment of impact &mdash; one filmed from the attacking drone boat itself and another from an overhead surveillance drone. Ukrainian officials, however, did not confirm the identity of the vessel.
Ukraine&rsquo;s official United24 media outlet described the incident as significant, saying, &ldquo;This marks the first recorded instance of Russian forces employing a naval drone to strike a Ukrainian warship.&rdquo;
Russia&rsquo;s Expanding Use of Naval Drones
Russia released no technical details about the USV involved, though reports suggest it may have been launched from occupied Crimea, about 130 miles away, or from a naval vessel. Military analyst Denis Fedutinov said the attack was carried out by a remotely operated boat.
Moscow has been developing a fleet of naval drones, including the Katran model, which is designed to carry FPV aerial drones or light weapons. However, experts have noted its limitations. &ldquo;Katran lacks satellite communication capabilities, unlike Ukrainian sea drones equipped with systems like Starlink,&rdquo; Ukraine&rsquo;s Defense Express reported in May.
&ldquo;Instead, it relies on radio channels, limiting its operational range and making it susceptible to electronic warfare (EW) systems.&rdquo;
Russia&rsquo;s state outlet Izvestia had also acknowledged earlier this year that &ldquo;transmitting a reliable radio signal still limits the range of the boats.&rdquo;
Ukraine Strikes Back in the Sea of Azov
In what appeared to be a retaliatory move, Ukrainian military intelligence said it struck a Russian missile corvette in the Sea of Azov. &ldquo;As a result of the strikes, a Russian missile ship, which was in the potential launch zone of Kalibr missiles in the Temryuk Bay, was damaged and forced to leave the combat duty area,&rdquo; Ukraine&rsquo;s intelligence service said, according to Reuters.
This comes amid heightened maritime hostilities, with Ukraine frequently targeting Russia&rsquo;s Black Sea Fleet, while Russia has attacked both military and civilian vessels since the start of the full-scale invasion.

A major Russian strike hit Kyiv overnight, killing three people, including a 14-year-old, and injuring 12 others, officials said.

'Massive' Russian strikes on Kyiv kill at least 3

A major Russian strike hit Kyiv overnight, killing three people, including a 14-year-old, and injuring 12 others, officials said.

A "massive" Russian attack on Kyiv on Thursday killed at least three people and wounded a dozen others, officials in the Ukrainian capital said.
Powerful explosions rocked the city overnight, illuminating the sky and leaving behind a column of smoke, AFP journalists saw.
The city's military administration said three people had been confirmed dead and 12 wounded, with "significant damage" to residential buildings. One of those killed was a 14-year-old, according to the administration's head Tymur Tkachenko.
The attack comes as Moscow and Kyiv trade blame over an impasse in diplomatic efforts towards a peace deal which have been spearheaded by US President Donald Trump.
An AFP journalist in Kyiv saw red tracer bullets sailing through the night sky in an effort to intercept drones above the city centre. At least one missile appeared to be shot down.
Around 100 people took refuge in a subway station, with some lying in sleeping bags and others holding their pets.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko described Russia's latest strikes as a "massive attack" which caused damage in five districts of the capital.
A five-storey building in the Darnytsky district had collapsed, the mayor reported.
Kyiv suffered one of its worst attacks of the over three-year war on July 31, leaving more than 30 people dead including five children.
Russian forces have been slowly but steadily gaining ground in Ukraine in recent months, as diplomatic efforts have accelerated.
Trump held a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska this month, followed by a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and European allies.
But there has been little progress since then.
Before concluding any peace agreement, Ukraine wants security guarantees from the West to deter any future Russian attacks.
Moscow has cast Kyiv's demands as unrealistic and has raised particular objection to the notion of stationing Western peacekeeping troops in Ukraine.
Zelensky said on Wednesday that members of his administration would meet with US officials in New York on Friday.
The Ukrainian leader said he saw "very arrogant and negative signals from Moscow regarding the negotiations", urging extra "pressure" to "force Russia to take real steps".

Russia launched its largest overnight strike since July, firing hundreds of drones and missiles at Ukraine, killing one and injuring many.

Russia Executes Massive Air Attack on Ukraine's West

Russia's Major Air Attack on Western Ukraine

Russia launched its largest overnight strike since July, firing hundreds of drones and missiles at Ukraine, killing one and injuring many.

Russia launched hundreds of drones and missiles against Ukraine overnight in the biggest barrage since mid-July, killing one person and wounding many others.
Ukrainian officials said on Thursday that the strikes showed Russia was not serious about a peace deal despite intensive US diplomatic efforts in recent days.
"Russia continues to demonstrate that it is not interested in peace," Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said, in a social media post.
"Last night, Ukraine was subjected to a large-scale combined strike: drones, &nbsp;cruise and ballistic missiles, even hypersonic weapons," she said.
Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 574 drones and 40 missiles. Air defence units downed 546 drones and 31 missiles.
"One person was killed and two were wounded as a result of the combined UAV and cruise missile strike in Lviv," said Maksym Kozytskyi, head of the military administration in the western city's region.
"Dozens of residential buildings were damaged," he added.
Russian fire also wounded 12 people in the city of Mukachevo, near the border with Hungary and Slovakia, the city council said.
"Five patients are being treated in the hospital, and one more was transferred to the regional hospital," the council posted.
Western Ukraine is less frequently targeted by Russian forces, which have captured swathes of southern and eastern Ukraine in an invasion which began in 2022.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said there was "no military logic or necessity" to the strikes, saying they were "just terror against people".
Meanwhile, Russia's defence ministry said it destroyed "49 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles" across multiple regions.
The ministry did not detail any casualties or damage.
The latest cross-border fire follows Trump's flurry of diplomacy this month aimed at ending the war.
The US president met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska, before bringing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders to Washington for separate talks.
Russia has played down the prospect of a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky any time soon, and has said it wants to be included in discussions on future security guarantees for Ukraine.

UK and Germany lead NATO talks on President Trump's Ukraine arms delivery plan as Russia intensifies drone strikes; Patriot systems and sanctions also under discussion.

High-level talks to be held on support for Ukraine after Trump said Europe will pay for weapons

NATO Talks on Arms for Ukraine Amid Tensions

UK and Germany lead NATO talks on President Trump's Ukraine arms delivery plan as Russia intensifies drone strikes; Patriot systems and sanctions also under discussion.

The UK and Germany are chairing a meeting Monday to discuss President Donald Trump's plans for NATO allies to provide Ukraine with weapons, a week after the US president said deliveries would arrive in Ukraine within days.
The virtual meeting will be lead by British Defence Secretary John Healey and his German counterpart Boris Pistorius. Healey said US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and NATO leader Mark Rutte, as well as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Gen Alexus Grynkewich, will attend the meeting of Ukraine Defence Contact Group.
The talks come after Russia pounded Ukraine with some 300 drone strikes Saturday, Ukrainian officials said. Moscow continues to intensify its long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities, and analysts say the barrages are likely to escalate.
In an shift of tone toward Russia, the U.S. president last week gave Moscow a 50-day deadline to agree to a ceasefire or face tougher sanctions.
Trump's arms plan, announced a week ago, involves European nations sending American weapons to Ukraine via NATO &mdash; either from existing stockpiles or buying and donating new ones. The U.S. president indicated discussions were partly focused on advanced Patriot air defence systems and said a week ago that deliveries would begin &ldquo;within days.&rdquo; But last week various senior officials suggested no transfers had yet taken place.
NATO's Grynkewich told The Associated Press on Thursday that &ldquo;preparations are underway&rdquo; for weapons transfers to Ukraine while US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said he couldn't give a time frame.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Thursday that Germany will finance two new Patriot systems for Ukraine and raised the possibility of supplying systems it already owns and having them replaced by the US.
But delivery could take time, Merz suggested because &ldquo;they have to be transported, they have to be set up; that is not a question of hours, it is a question of days, perhaps weeks." Other Patriot systems could come thanks to Switzerland, whose defence ministry said Thursday it was informed by the US Defence Department that it will &ldquo;reprioritize the delivery" of five previously ordered systems to support Ukraine.
While Ukraine waits for Patriots, a senior NATO official said the alliance is still coordinating the delivery of other military aid &mdash; such as ammunition and artillery rounds &mdash; which includes aid from the U.S. that was briefly paused. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that his officials have proposed a new round of peace talks this week. Russian state media on Sunday reported that no date has yet been set for the negotiations, but said that Istanbul would likely remain the host city. The Kremlin spokesman said Sunday that Russia is open to peace with Ukraine, but achieving its goals remains a priority.&nbsp;

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