Russian strikes trigger Ukraine power cuts, prompt Poland to scramble jets 

Russia has hit regions across Ukraine with missiles and drones, killing at least three people and triggering emergency power outages as United States-led talks to end the nearly four-year conflict dragged on.

In a social media post, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a four-year-old in the Zhytomyr region was among those killed during the Russian attacks that took place “in the midst of negotiations aimed at ending this war”.

“This Russian strike sends an extremely clear signal about Russia’s priorities,” he said, urging Ukraine’s Western partners to increase pressure on Moscow.

A woman in the Kyiv region and another person in the Khmelnytskyi region were also killed, Zelenskyy added.

There was no immediate comment by Russia, which denies targeting civilians since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Ukraine’s power operator Ukrenergo said on Tuesday that the “massive missile and drone attack” had caused fires in several regions, leading it to impose “emergency power outages” across the country, where winter temperatures are currently dipping towards freezing.

Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said energy infrastructure in Ukraine’s western regions suffered the most damage in the overnight attacks, which included dozens of missiles and more than 600 drones.

The country’s air force reported that air raid alerts covered nearly all of Ukraine as of 06:20 GMT, as Russia intensifies its attacks during winter to disrupt electricity and heating and to strain logistics and the economy.

In the capital, Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said debris fell near a residential building in the Sviatoshynskyi district, damaging windows. In the Black Sea city of Odesa, Russian strikes sparked fires but did not result in injuries, according to emergency services.

As a result of Tuesday’s attacks, NATO member Poland said Polish and allied aircraft were deployed to protect its airspace after Russian strikes hit areas of western Ukraine near its border.

“These measures are preventive in nature and are aimed at securing and protecting the airspace,” Poland’s operational command said in a statement.

Poland scrambles jets during major Russian missile-and-drone barrages on western Ukraine, when strikes are deemed to pose a heightened risk near its border.

The latest strikes followed two-track negotiations in the US city of Miami, with US President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner meeting Ukrainian and Russian delegations separately.

Zelenskyy said on Monday that revised drafts of US ceasefire proposals looked “quite solid at this stage”. “There are some things we are probably not ready for, and I’m sure there are things the Russians are not ready for either,” he said.

He claimed “nearly 90 percent” of Ukraine’s demands had been incorporated into the draft agreements, alluding to a 20-point plan.

However, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov was quoted by state media as saying there had been “slow progress”.

Witkoff hailed “productive and constructive” discussions with both sides, but there were no signs of a breakthrough.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has continued its campaign to disrupt the Russian war effort and sow fear behind the front line, where outnumbered Ukrainian troops are straining to hold back Russia’s bigger army.

On Monday, Ukrainian officials said the country’s forces had hit an oil terminal, a pipeline, two parked jets and two ships in a series of strikes on Russian soil.

That day, a car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow. Russian investigators said they suspected the attack was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces”. Ukraine has not commented on the incident.