On Wednesday night, Russia plunged a Ukrainian city into complete darkness after launching drones that targeted vital energy infrastructure and two hospitals, despite a promise made by Russian President Vladimir Putin to President Trump just hours earlier that he would cease such strikes.
According to Kyiv, around 145 drones struck energy facilities, including two hospitals, almost immediately following Putin’s assurance to Trump that he would stop targeting “energy and infrastructure.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded angrily, stating that Putin’s “words are very different from reality,” and called for greater international pressure on Russia.
The overnight assault primarily focused on energy infrastructure in Slovyansk, a city with 100,000 residents located in the Donetsk region, as well as the railway power grid in the Dnipropetrovsk area, as reported by the Kyiv Post.
“Russia is attacking civilian infrastructure and people — right now,” Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s chief of staff, stated in a Telegram post late at night.
The attack left portions of the city without power, though the train services remained operational. The drones also struck two hospitals in the Sumy region, forcing evacuations of both patients and medical personnel. No immediate casualties were reported.
A 60-year-old man was injured near Kyiv, where numerous homes were damaged or completely destroyed in the drone strike.
The Ukrainian military reported that 145 drones were launched by Russia, with 72 being intercepted and 56 destroyed.
Russia’s actions, coming directly after agreeing to a partial cease-fire, sparked widespread international condemnation.
Germany’s defense minister, Boris Pistorius, accused Putin of “playing a game” after Ukraine first reported the drone strikes on civilian targets.
“Attacks on civilian infrastructure in the first night after this supposedly pivotal and great phone call have not abated,” Pistorius said during an interview with ZDF, a German broadcaster. “Putin is playing a game here, and I’m sure that the American president won’t be able to sit and watch for much longer.”
U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) also criticized the move, posting on X that Putin “insulted President Trump” by reneging on his promise.
“Putin’s forces targeted power systems in Slovyansk with guided bombs, and attacks continue across Ukraine now,” Wilson wrote.
“Putin does not want peace, he wants Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, Russia accused Ukraine of carrying out airstrikes overnight, claiming that an oil terminal in the southern part of the country was struck, causing a fire but no casualties.
The Russian defense ministry reported the destruction of 57 Ukrainian drones during the same period, including 35 over the Kursk region on the border. It remained unclear how many drones Ukraine had launched.
The phone conversation between Trump and Putin, which Trump later described as “very good and productive,” concluded with an agreement to halt attacks on energy and infrastructure “with an understanding that we will be working quickly to have a Complete Ceasefire,” according to Trump.
In the aftermath of the attacks, Zelensky announced his intention to speak with Trump on Wednesday to gain more insight into his conversation with Putin.
“Today I will have contact with President Trump,” Zelensky told reporters in Helsinki. “We will discuss the details of the next steps with him.”
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