WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russia's missile attack on Kyiv kills one, sparks fires, Ukraine says

Russia's early morning missile attack on Kyiv killed at least one civilian and sparked several fires throughout the city, Ukrainian officials said.

"Russia carried out a missile strike on Kyiv and the Kyiv region," Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff, said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

"This is how (Vladimir) wants the war to end."

U.S. President Donald Trump, who had vowed to end the conflict in Ukraine, said over the weekend that he has been in contact with Kyiv and Putin and was "making progress" in negotiations to end the war that Russia launched on Ukraine nearly three years ago.

Kyiv's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that at least one person was killed as a result of the attack and emergency services were called to at least four districts of the Ukrainian capital.

The military administration said that fires broke out at several residential and non-residential buildings.

Air raid alerts were imposed only at the start of the attack at around 0227 GMT. It was not immediately clear what missiles were used, but the late launch of air raid alerts suggests they were difficult to detect by radar.

Reuters' witnesses reported hearing a series of explosions in what sounded like air defence systems in operation.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Moscow confirms strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure

Russia has carried out a wave of strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure that supports the country’s military-industrial effort, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has confirmed.

In a statement on Tuesday, the ministry said that its forces had conducted a “group strike using long-range high-precision land,- air- and sea-based weapons as well as attack drones”on targets in Kiev-controlled territory. According to officials, the strikes were aimed at “gas and energy facilities supporting Ukraine’s defense industry, military airfield infrastructure, and sites for storage and preparation of attack drones.”

“The objectives of the strikes have been achieved,” the statement read.

Ukrainian officials have also confirmed the attacks, acknowledging that temporary localized blackouts had to be imposed to minimize the impact on the power grid. The Energy Ministry clarified, however, that the restrictions would not affect residential consumers, critical infrastructure, or businesses importing more than 60% of their electricity.

Naftogaz, Ukraine’s state-owned gas company, reported damage to production facilities in northern Poltava Region, adding that there were no casualties. Local officials also confirmed that nine settlements in the Mirgorod district were left without gas supply following the strikes.

In Kharkov Region, Russian drones damaged power lines and transformers, leading to localized blackouts, Strana.ua reported, while the local prosecutor’s office confirmed that critical infrastructure, residential buildings, and businesses had sustained damaged, but no injuries occurred.

Moscow has for months launched long-range strikes on Ukrainian military installations and energy infrastructure linked to defense operations, stating that these attacks never target civilians. Meanwhile, Russia has frequently accused Ukraine of conducting strikes on its civilian infrastructure, including residential areas as well as on oil processing plants across the country.

Reuters/RT