On Sunday, Ukrainian drones targeted energy facilities in regions of southern Ukraine controlled by Russia, resulting in power outages for hundreds of thousands of people.
Ukrainian officials claim this attack is part of a strategy by Russian forces to “weaponize winter,” similar to their previous assaults on Ukraine’s power grid. Throughout the night, Russian attacks reportedly continued, leading to two fatalities.
According to a governor appointed by the Kremlin, over 200,000 households in the Zaporizhzhya region were left without electricity. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy acknowledged this situation in a Telegram post, explaining that while repairs to the energy system are challenging, efforts are being made to restore power as quickly as possible.
He also noted that overnight assaults impacted cities such as Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhia, Khmelnitsky, and Odessa, claiming two lives. Reports indicated that Russia deployed more than 1,300 drones, over 1,050 guided bombs, and 29 missiles in their recent attacks on Ukraine.
Meanwhile, discussions are ongoing between the United States, Ukraine, and Russia regarding a potential peace agreement. Zelenskiy has consistently stated that Russia is not part of these peace negotiations.
Zelenskiy emphasized that if Russia intentionally prolongs the diplomatic process, the global response should be firm: increased support for Ukraine and heightened pressure on Russia. In a contrasting view, former President Donald Trump recently suggested that Ukraine, rather than Russia, is the one obstructing a potential peace deal, stating that he believes Putin is “ready to make a deal” while expressing doubt about Ukraine’s willingness to do the same.
Trump did not elaborate on his belief that Zelenskiy is hesitating, but remarked that the Ukrainian leader might be struggling to reach an agreement. He added that he would be open to meeting Zelenskiy at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
