By Hadiza Galadima
Following a week-long pause requested by President Trump, Russia launched a series of “barbaric” strikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as temperatures plummeted to -20°C. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attacks as “particularly depraved,” while Trump noted that Putin had “kept his word” regarding the full temporal lull.
Over 1,000 tower blocks in Kyiv are without heat. Major facilities, including Kharkiv’s power plant, are beyond repair. Residents are currently sheltering in metro stations and warming centers.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are meeting Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Abu Dhabi to discuss a US-proposed peace deal.
A primary obstacle remains Russia’s demand for Ukraine to cede the remaining unoccupied territories in the Donbas region.
Russian strikes killed at least five civilians across Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia. Meanwhile, Ukraine launched “combined attacks” using drones and missiles on Russia’s Bryansk and Belgorod regions.
