Russia launched a barrage of missile and drone attacks across Ukraine early Wednesday, striking civilian infrastructure, including a hospital in Sumy, despite a partial ceasefire agreement reached hours earlier between Russian President Vladimir Putin and former U.S. President Donald Trump. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the strikes demonstrated that Moscow's stated support for peace negotiations was not genuine.
"In many regions we can exactly hear what it is that Russia wants," Zelenskyy stated on Telegram, as air raid sirens sounded across Kyiv and northeastern Ukraine. "About 40 Shaheds in our sky, air defense is working. Unfortunately, there are hits, and precisely in civilian infrastructure."
Ukraine's air force reported that Russia fired six missiles and 145 drones overnight. Of those, 72 drones were shot down, and another 56 reportedly failed to hit targets. Ukrainian authorities confirmed damage in the Kyiv, Sumy, Odesa, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, and Chernihiv regions. In Bucha, outside Kyiv, drones damaged homes and vehicles, injuring at least two people. In Sumy, a drone strike forced the evacuation of over 100 patients from a hospital, while one civilian died in a nearby village.
The strikes followed a two-hour phone call on Tuesday between Putin and Trump, during which both leaders agreed to halt attacks on energy and infrastructure targets. Trump described the conversation as "very good and productive," posting on Truth Social, "We agreed to an immediate Ceasefire on all Energy and Infrastructure, with an understanding that we will be working quickly to have a Complete Ceasefire and, ultimately, an END to this very horrible War between Russia and Ukraine."
However, Putin rejected a broader 30-day ceasefire proposal championed by the Biden administration and Ukraine. The Kremlin said the Russian president had issued a partial ceasefire order focused only on energy infrastructure but maintained that Moscow would require an end to Western military aid to Ukraine before considering a full cessation of hostilities. "It was emphasised that a key condition for preventing the escalation of the conflict... must be the complete cessation of foreign military aid and the provision of intelligence to Kyiv," the Kremlin noted.
Speaking from Finland, Zelenskyy criticized Putin's refusal to halt all fighting. "Today, Putin actually rejected the proposal for a complete ceasefire," he said. "It would be right for the world to reject any attempts by Putin to drag out the war in response."
He added, "Sanctions against Russia. Aid to Ukraine. Strengthening allies in the free world and working towards security guarantees. And only a real cessation by Russia of attacks on civilian infrastructure as evidence of a desire to end this war can bring peace closer."
The White House, in a statement, said that technical negotiations to implement the partial ceasefire would begin immediately, including maritime talks concerning the Black Sea and discussions on a possible full ceasefire. Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, told Fox News that talks would start Sunday in Jeddah. "We have some details to work out of course, but that will begin on Sunday in Jeddah, and beyond that we'll move to a full ceasefire," Witkoff said, describing the call as "two great leaders coming together for the betterment of mankind."
In Moscow, Russian officials praised the talks. Kirill Dmitriev, a senior aide close to Putin, wrote on X, "It is official now - a PERFECT call."
Despite the agreement on energy targets, the night's violence underscored ongoing hostilities. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed its forces neutralized seven of its own drones in Ukraine's Mykolaiv region after Putin's ceasefire order, saying these drones were aimed at "Ukrainian energy infrastructure facilities related to the military-industrial complex."
Additionally, Russian authorities reported a Ukrainian drone attack on an oil depot in Krasnodar Krai's Kavkazsky district, igniting a fire that spread to over 18,000 square feet. "Due to falling debris there was a fire at the oil depot," local officials said, confirming 30 workers were evacuated. Emergency services deployed 179 personnel and 54 units of equipment to contain the blaze.
Russia also said its forces shot down 57 Ukrainian drones overnight, with the Defense Ministry describing Ukraine's actions as "another provocation specially prepared by the Kyiv regime aimed at disrupting the peace initiatives of the U.S. president."
Operations at airports in Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, and Nizhnekamsk were temporarily suspended, according to Russia's air transport agency Rosaviatsia, amid the heightened drone activity. No specific reasons were given, though drone attacks have regularly triggered such disruptions.
