Russia launches hypersonic missile strikes; parts of Ukraine plunge into darkness
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Russia launches hypersonic missile strikes; parts of Ukraine plunge into darkness")
Photograph: (AFP)
The Russian defence ministry said it carried out a massive strike on Ukraine’s military and energy facilities in response to what it called Ukraine’s terrorist attacks on civilian targets in Russia.
Russia on Saturday (Dec 13) launched hypersonic missile strikes on Ukraine targeting key industrial and energy installations, in what Moscow called in response to a Ukrainian attack on "civilian targets" in Russia. The attacks come at a time when US President Donald Trump's special envoy is set to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders in Germany for more talks on ending the war.
Moscow's defence ministry said it carried out a "massive strike" on Ukraine's army and energy facilities using weapons including Kinzhal hypersonic missiles as a "response to Ukraine's terrorist attacks on civilian targets in Russia".
Confirming the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Russian overnight strike using more than 450 drones and 30 missiles damaged over a dozen civilian facilities across Ukraine, triggering a power outage in seven regions of the country.
"It is important that everyone now sees what Russia is doing... for this is clearly not about ending the war," Zelensky said on social media, adding, "They still aim to destroy our state and inflict maximum pain on our people."
In Russia, regional governor Roman Busargin said two people were killed in Saratov after a drone strike hit a residential building.
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Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy, who has been at the forefront of leading Washington's attempt to achieve a negotiated peace between Russia and Ukraine, will discuss the updated draft of the proposed peace plan in Berlin.
US President Donald Trump had put forward a draft plan to end the war, setting off a series of high-level negotiations. Talks began in Geneva between US, European and Ukrainian officials over post-war security guarantees and territorial issues. Follow-up meetings in Florida brought US envoys and Ukrainian representatives together for marathon sessions to refine the proposal.
The Ukrainian president is now set to meet US envoys and European leaders in Berlin before the plan is presented to Russia, although major differences remain unresolved.
