Wartorn Ukraine Struggles In Freezing Temperatures As Russian Strikes Kill Numerous People

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Ukrainians struggled to cope with freezing temperatures Tuesday after Russia launched its second massive drone and missile assault in four days, killing and wounding civilians and knocking out power and heating in several regions, Ukrainian officials said.

Russia fired nearly 300 drones, 18 ballistic missiles, and seven cruise missiles overnight at targets in at least eight regions, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, adding that the strikes again focused on energy infrastructure as winter deepens.

In the northeastern city of Kharkiv, at least four people were killed when a strike hit a mail depot, local authorities said. Several hundred thousand households were left without electricity in the Kyiv region, where temperatures dropped to minus 12 degrees Celsius (10 degrees Fahrenheit).

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the latest attack caused the largest power outage the capital has faced so far. More than 500 residential buildings were without central heating, forcing residents to gather in apartments that still had power to warm up, charge phones, and share hot food and drinks.

Klitschko ordered the city to provide one hot meal per day to vulnerable residents and announced bonuses for utility workers repairing damage “day and night.”

INTERNATIONAL CONDEMNATION

The United States and Britain sharply condemned Russia for using a nuclear-capable Oreshnik ballistic missile, fired at western Ukraine during the latest wave of attacks.

At an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, U.S. Deputy Ambassador Tammy Bruce called the strike a “dangerous and inexplicable escalation.”

Britain’s Acting U.N. Ambassador James Kariuki called it “reckless” and warned the missile strike threatened regional and international security.

Russia claimed the Oreshnik targeted an aviation repair facility over the weekend, a claim Ukraine has not confirmed.

Military analysts say the missile — rarely used and believed to be in limited supply — may have carried dummy warheads, suggesting the strike was largely symbolic and political.

CIVILIAN TOLL MOUNTS

In the southern port city of Odesa, at least six people were wounded as strikes damaged energy infrastructure, residential buildings, a hospital, and a kindergarten, officials said.

Ukraine also accused Russia of attacking two civilian cargo ships in the Black Sea near the port of Chornomorsk, wounding a crew member and damaging vessels carrying food products.

The actions, Kyiv said, showed Moscow was deliberately targeting international trade.

Amid ongoing attacks, Kyiv on Monday buried Sergiy Smolyak, a 56-year-old medic killed in a drone attack while trying to rescue residents from a housing block struck minutes earlier.

“He saved so many people,” recalled nurse Ryta Dorosh, who worked with him before the war.

‘WEAPONIZING WINTER’

The latest strikes come as Russia’s full-scale invasion nears its four-year mark. Ukrainian officials say Moscow is again trying to “weaponize winter” by depriving civilians of heat, electricity, and water to wear down resistance.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine is counting on faster deliveries of air-defense systems from the United States and Europe to counter the intensified assault.

Yet Russia stressed it has been attacked by Ukraine. Its military claimed 11 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight, including several over the Rostov region.

Ukraine’s military said its drones struck a drone manufacturing facility in the Russian city of Taganrog, though the claims could not be independently verified.

The United Nations has said 2025 was the deadliest year for civilians in Ukraine since 2022, with more than 2,500 killed and over 12,000 wounded, underscoring the growing human cost of the war.

However, the real total death toll is believed to be higher, with several sources saying more than 1 million people were killed and injured in Europe’s largest land war since World War II.

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