Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone attack on Kyiv early Wednesday, killing at least one person and wounding several others, as the Kremlin ruled out a potential land-swap agreement proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The strikes damaged residential buildings, office complexes, and infrastructure across multiple districts of the capital, adding pressure on Ukraine's air defenses as the nearly three-year war drags on.
Russia's defense ministry described the assault as a "group missile strike" targeting Ukraine's military-industrial sites, including facilities that produce drones. "All planned targets were hit," the ministry said in a social media post. The Ukrainian Air Force, however, reported that it intercepted six Russian Iskander-M ballistic missiles and downed 71 out of 123 drones launched in the attack, including Iranian-designed Shahed drones.
Zelensky condemned the strikes, calling them evidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin has no interest in peace negotiations. "Putin is not preparing for peace-he continues to kill Ukrainians and destroy cities," he said in a statement. "Only strong steps and pressure on Russia can stop this terror. Right now we need the unity and the support of all our partners in the fight for a just end to this war."
Emergency services deployed more than 120 rescue workers across three Kyiv districts to extinguish fires and clear debris. The attack killed a resident in the Obolonskyi district and injured four others, including a child. Fires broke out on the roof of a high-rise in Svyatoshynsky, in a warehouse in Holosiivskyi, and at an industrial facility in Darnytsia, authorities said. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed extensive damage but said emergency crews had contained the fires by mid-morning.
The missile barrage came just hours after the Kremlin dismissed the possibility of ceding occupied Ukrainian land as part of a negotiated settlement. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia would never discuss exchanging any territory it has seized. His remarks followed reports that Zelensky had suggested Ukraine could consider a land swap involving Russian-held parts of Ukraine and Russian-controlled regions of western Russia's Kursk Oblast. "This is impossible. Russia has never and will never discuss the topic of exchanging its territory," Peskov said.
The escalation in hostilities occurred as diplomatic efforts to resolve the war remain in limbo. Zelensky is set to meet with U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Friday at the Munich Security Conference, where the war in Ukraine will be a focal point. The meeting precedes a visit to Ukraine by President Donald Trump's special envoy for Russia and Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, who has been tasked with developing a peace proposal. Trump has said he aims to leverage the billions of dollars in U.S. military aid sent to Ukraine as a bargaining tool to push Kyiv toward territorial concessions.
The potential for negotiations comes at a challenging time for Ukraine's military, which has been struggling to hold back Russian advances along multiple fronts. Kyiv's forces have suffered recent setbacks as Moscow's better-equipped troops have gained ground in key areas. Amid these challenges, Ukraine has continued to press its Western allies for more military and financial support.
Meanwhile, in Washington, Trump welcomed home Marc Fogel, an American teacher detained in Russia since 2021 on drug charges. Fogel was released in what Trump described as a diplomatic breakthrough secured by his envoy Steve Witkoff. The president said another American was expected to be released on Thursday but did not disclose details of what Russia had received in exchange for the prisoners. Russia had acted "very nicely," Trump said, adding that he hoped Fogel's release would be "the beginning of a relationship where we can end that war."
The latest Russian assault has intensified concerns that Moscow is using military pressure to force Ukraine into a more compromised negotiating position. Despite recent rhetoric from Moscow, Washington, and Kyiv about the possibility of peace talks, analysts say the Kremlin's hardline stance on territorial concessions and its continued missile strikes indicate that a diplomatic resolution remains distant.
