Russia Launches Airstrikes Amid Ceasefire Talks... Ukraine Reports 1 Dead, 23 Injured

As the trilateral ceasefire talks involving the United States, Russia, and Ukraine entered their second day, Russia launched large-scale airstrikes across Ukraine, resulting in casualties.

Building in Kyiv damaged by Russian airstrike on the 24th Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

According to BBC and Ukrainian authorities on the 24th (local time), Russian forces carried out drone and missile attacks overnight, killing at least one person and injuring 23 others. The Ukrainian Air Force stated that Russia launched 375 drones and 21 missiles during the night.

The Kyiv city authorities reported that the airstrikes left one person dead and four injured, while Kharkiv city said 19 people were wounded in the early morning attacks. In the Kharkiv region, even shelters for evacuees and maternity hospitals were reported to have been damaged.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha criticized the attack on X (formerly Twitter), stating, "This barbaric assault once again demonstrates that Putin belongs not at the peace committee, but in the dock of a special tribunal." Minister Sybiha described Russia's airstrikes as "brutal and cynical attacks," insisting that "they target not only our people but the negotiation table itself."

On the same morning, trilateral talks resumed in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), over the peace plan proposed by the United States. Citing sources, the BBC reported that while some progress had been made, significant differences remained unresolved regarding the core territorial issues.

The Kyiv city authorities announced that heating supply to approximately 6,000 buildings had been cut off due to the aftermath of the airstrikes. According to the Ukrainian Meteorological Agency, the minimum temperature across Ukraine that day dropped to minus 12 degrees Celsius.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated the previous day that "Russia's main targets are energy infrastructure," and urged that the air defense support discussed recently with U.S. President Donald Trump in Davos, Switzerland, must be fully implemented.