Russia launched a significant aerial assault on Ukraine on Friday, , just hours after former U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to halt attacks on Ukrainian cities. The attack involved 111 long-range drones and one ballistic missile, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
The timing of the assault casts doubt on Trump’s assertion that Putin would refrain from attacking, particularly in light of the harsh winter conditions. Trump stated he had personally asked Putin not to attack Kyiv and other towns for a week, and that Putin had agreed. However, the Russian military continued to target civilian objects and civilians in Kherson, resulting in the death of a city bus driver and injuries to five others, according to local media reports.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported continuing attacks against residents in other areas of the country. He specifically noted that drone attacks on residential buildings continued, and a ballistic missile strike damaged civilian production warehouses in the Kharkiv region, including a facility owned by Philip Morris.
The Kremlin confirmed that Putin had agreed to a cessation of strikes on Kyiv until at the personal request of Trump. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov framed the agreement as an effort to facilitate U.S.-mediated peace negotiations, but did not mention the cold weather as a factor. He also declined to comment on whether Russia would refrain from targeting energy infrastructure.
Prior to Friday’s large-scale attack, Ukraine had experienced a relatively quiet night, with air raid alerts sounding in only eight regions overnight. Two minor injuries were reported in Zaporizhzhia. However, over the course of the week leading up to Friday, Kyiv experienced 530 air raid alerts.
While the recent nights have been quieter for Kyiv, attacks continued near the front lines. The Ukrainian air force reported that more than 100 drones and a ballistic missile were fired at regions near the front line overnight on Thursday. No fresh attacks on electricity or heating infrastructure were reported as of Friday morning.
The developments follow a period where Ukraine had been anticipating a major Russian attack coinciding with the current cold snap, with temperatures in Kyiv expected to plummet to -24C (-11F) in the coming days. Russia has intensified attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure during cold periods since the invasion began.
The White House responded to the Russian attack with a statement, though details of that statement were not immediately available. The incident underscores Russia’s history of breaking international agreements and commitments, a pattern highlighted as Trump intensifies efforts to broker an end to the conflict.
The situation raises questions about the reliability of assurances from the Russian government and the potential for future breaches of any negotiated agreements. The broken promise from Putin, following Trump’s claims, has prompted calls for a reaction from Ukraine and its allies.
