'Massive' Russian attack across Ukraine with four-year-old child among those killed

'Massive' Russian attack across Ukraine with four-year-old child among those killedRussia has maintained that strikes will continue until its demands for peace are met

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Russia has launched another air attack on Ukraine, killing at least three people including a four-year-old child.

Tuesday’s missile and drone attack triggered emergency power cuts across Ukraine just days before Christmas.

Russia’s latest strike hit both energy facilities in the west of the nation the most intensely, said Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.

This came just days after yet another round of peace talks led by the US, four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

An elderly woman who was inside an apartment is helped by Ukrainian emergency services in KyivREUTERS

The attack in the central Zhytomyr region on Tuesday killed two people, one of whom was a four-year-old. One other person was killed outside Kyiv, where officials reported that at least five were wounded.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X: "This Russian strike sends an extremely clear signal about Russia's priorities."

He said that it involved more than 30 missiles and 650 drones across at least 13 regions.

"An attack ahead of Christmas, when people simply want to be with their families, at home, and safe," he added.

Most regions had emergency power outages after the attack, Ukraine's grid operator said

The latest Russian attack involved more than 30 missiles and 650 dronesUKRAINIAN EMERGENCY SERVICE/AFPThe damage incurred by the Russian drone attack on an apartment buildingREUTERS

Local authorities added that critical and energy infrastructure was affected in the northern Chernihiv, western Lviv, and southern Odesa regions.

Poland said it would be deploying aircraft to preserve its neighbouring airspace, after Russia began to strike targeted areas of western Ukraine close to the border.

This marks an increase in Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy and infrastructure, intended to increase pressure on Kyiv whilst peace talks are underway, which are expected to involve Russian concessions.

Last weekend’s round of talks in Miami brought US, Ukrainian and European officials, alongside separate representatives for Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said ‘Putin still cannot accept that he must stop killing’PA Wire

Whilst the US continues to push for some semblance of a peace agreement, this latest attack demonstrates that Russia’s priority is focused squarely on pushing its offensive against outnumbered Ukrainian troops.

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Moscow has demanded that Ukraine relinquish its eastern Donbas region and significantly limit its military capacity before fighting stops.

Zelenskyy said on social media: "Putin still cannot accept that he must stop killing."

He wrote on X, "And that means that the world is not putting enough pressure on Russia. Now is the time to respond."