LONDON – Russia launched a “massive” drone and missile attack against Ukraine overnight Tuesday morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram, causing power outages in several regions of the country, according to the Energy Ministry in kyiv.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 635 drones and 38 missiles into the country overnight, of which 587 drones and 34 missiles were shot down or suppressed. Missile and drone hits were reported at 21 locations, the air force said.
Monday night’s attack was the largest combined Russian attack since Dec. 6, according to Ukrainian air force data analyzed by ABC News, and the third largest of the war to date.
Zelenskyy said Russia was “primarily targeting our energy sector, civil infrastructure and literally every aspect of daily life.”
At least three people were killed: one in kyiv, another in Khmelnytskyi and a four-year-old child in Zhytomyr, Zelenskyy said. At least 13 regions were attacked, he added. Local officials reported that at least 11 people were also injured across Ukraine.
The Ministry of Energy said in a post on Telegram that “emergency power outages have been introduced in several regions of Ukraine. As soon as the security situation allows, rescuers and energy specialists will begin repairing the damage caused by the attack to restore power supply to the regions as quickly as possible.”
A drone explodes during a Russian attack in kyiv, Ukraine, on December 23, 2025.
Gleb Garanich/Reuters
“Emergency power cuts will be lifted once the situation on the power grid has stabilized,” the ministry added.
Zelenskyy said the attack “sends an extremely clear signal about Russia’s priorities” as representatives of the warring parties take part in the latest round of US-sponsored shuttle diplomacy aimed at securing a peace deal.
“The attack comes just before Christmas, when people want to be with their families, at home, safe,” he wrote. “The attack actually comes at the height of negotiations aimed at ending this war.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Zelenskyy said, “simply cannot accept the need to stop killing.”
“This means that the world is not putting enough pressure on Russia,” he added. “We need to react now. We need to push Russia towards guaranteed peace and security.” Zelenskyy also called for “air defense for Ukraine, financing for the purchase of weapons and supply of energy equipment” to help stop Russian attacks.
Ukraine continued its own campaign of long-range strikes overnight, with the Russian Defense Ministry reporting the downing of at least 44 drones.
The airports in Volgograd, Grozny, Magas and Vladikavkaz were temporarily closed amid the attacks, according to Russia’s federal air transport agency, Rosaviatsiya.
In the Stavropol region, Governor Vladimir Vladimirov said an attempted drone attack targeted facilities in Budennovsk, causing a fire in an industrial area.
First responders work at the scene of a Russian drone attack on an apartment building in kyiv, Ukraine, on December 23, 2025.
Tomás Pedro/Reuters
In the Rostov region, Governor Yury Slyusar said debris from the drones damaged a fence and set fire to a house under construction in the village of Grushevskaya, which was later extinguished.
Meanwhile, on the diplomatic front, Ukrainian and Russian negotiators returned home after meeting with US officials in Miami over the weekend.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in remarks released Tuesday that Russia is awaiting information from the United States about talks with Ukrainian and European officials, after which he said Moscow would assess whether any developments “match the spirit of Anchorage,” referring to the summit between Putin and President Donald Trump in Alaska in August.
Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev said he had returned to Moscow after participating in the Miami talks. Earlier, the Kremlin said it would brief Putin upon his return.
Vice President JD Vance said Monday that recent talks had made “great progress” in that “all the issues are really open.”
Peskov, however, told the Rossiya-1 television channel on Tuesday that Russia does not know what Vance was referring to.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said in social media posts on Monday that the Ukrainian negotiating team will brief him on Tuesday morning. “There are 20 points of the plan,” he said. “Not everything is perfect so far, but this plan is in motion.”
Zelenskyy said there is now a framework of security guarantees with European nations and the United States. The “bilateral” and “legally binding” agreement with the United States must be reviewed by Congress, he added. “As of today, all this seems quite solid and worthy. However, for now, these are working drafts prepared by our military.”
Traffic circulates through kyiv, Ukraine, during a blackout following a Russian attack on December 23, 2025.
Gleb Garanich/Reuters
“This indicates that we are very close to a real outcome,” Zelenskyy added, noting that a separate draft agreement on Ukraine’s economic recovery was in the works.
“There are certain things we are not willing to accept,” Zelenskyy said. “And there are things, I’m sure, that the Russians are also not willing to accept. The Americans are currently continuing negotiations with the Russian representatives. They will have talks and then we will receive their comments.”
ABC News’ Natalia Kushnir, Dragana Jovanovic and Will Gretsky contributed to this report.
