Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that Russia has launched more than 300 drones and missiles in a nighttime attack on Ukraine's power grid. The assault knocked out heating to more than 5,600 apartment buildings in Kyiv. Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported on Tuesday that nearly 80% of these buildings had just regained heat after a previous attack. Ukraine is facing one of its coldest winters with temperatures in Kyiv dropping to minus 20 degrees Celsius or minus 4 Fahrenheit. Ukrainian officials meanwhile are in the U.S. for peace talks. They aim to finalize documents for a proposed peace settlement that focuses on postwar security and economic recovery.
By SAMYA KULLAB and ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press
Russia has launched a massive overnight attack on Ukraine, using hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles. Officials say at least four people have been killed. For only the second time in the nearly 4-year-old war, it used a powerful, new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv's NATO allies. The attack came days after Ukraine and its allies reported major progress toward agreeing on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck. The attack also coincides with a new chill in relations between Moscow and Washington over Venezuela and the U.S. seizure of one of its oil tankers in the North Atlantic.
Russian drone strikes have knocked out power in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region and left over 600,000 households in Dnipropetrovsk without electricity. Officials reported the overnight attacks on Thursday. This comes amid U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, nearly four years after Russia's invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized Russia for targeting public services, calling it "weaponizing winter." Emergency crews restored power in Zaporizhzhia, but many in Dnipropetrovsk remain without electricity. Zelenskyy urged global partners to pressure Moscow and mentioned ongoing discussions for postwar security guarantees with the U.S.
U.S. President Donald Trump's latest threats against Greenland pose a new and potentially unprecedented challenge to NATO, perhaps even an existential one. The alliance is normally focused on external threats, but it could now face an armed confrontation involving its most powerful member. The White House says the administration is weighing options that could include military action to take control of the strategically located and mineral-rich island. Greenland is part of NATO ally Denmark. Trump's designs on Greenland could put at risk the entire future of NATO, which was founded in 1949 to counter the threat to European security posed by the Soviet Union.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has replaced the head of the country's security service as part of a top-level reshuffle. The move comes ahead of his trip to Paris, where he hopes to finalize agreements with allies to prevent another Russian invasion if a peace deal is signed. The Paris talks, set for Tuesday, are expected to include leaders from about 30 countries, known as the "coalition of the willing." Key issues include the potential deployment of troops in or near Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russian drone strikes in Ukraine continue to cause casualties and power disruptions. Zelenskyy is focusing on security and defense as the war approaches its fourth anniversary next month.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed the head of the country's military intelligence as his new chief of staff. In announcing the appointment of Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, Zelenskyy said Ukraine must focus on security issues, the development of its defense and security forces, and peace talks -- areas that are overseen by the office of the president. Zelenskyy had dismissed his previous chief of staff Andrii Yermak amid an investigation into alleged corruption in the energy sector. Budanov, 39, is one of the country's most recognizable and popular wartime figures. He has led Ukraine's military intelligence agency, known by its acronym GUR, since 2020.
On Dec. 31, 1879, Thomas Edison first demonstrated his electric incandescent lights for the public by illuminating some 100 bulbs in and around his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey.
Russia's nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system has entered active service, Russia's Ministry of Defense says, as negotiators continue to search for a breakthrough in peace talks to end Moscow's war in Ukraine. Troops held a brief ceremony to mark the occasion in neighboring Belarus where the missiles have been deployed, the ministry says. It did not say how many missiles had been deployed or give any other details. The announcement comes at a critical time for peace talks, with negotiators still searching for a breakthrough on key issues, including territory and control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Officials say Russia fired more than 650 drones and three dozen missiles at Ukraine in a large-scale attack that began during the night and stretched into daylight hours Tuesday. At least three people were killed, including a 4-year-old child. The bombardment demonstrated Russian President Vladimir Putin's intention of pursuing the invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on the Telegram messaging app. Ukrainian and European officials have complained that Putin is not sincerely engaging with U.S.-led peace efforts. U.S. President Donald Trump has for months been pressing for a peace agreement, but the negotiations have become entangled in the very different demands from Moscow and Kyiv.
