Russia was not negotiating in good faith. It was killing children while claiming to seek peace.
Na manhã de uma quinta-feira, enquanto diplomatas ocidentais ainda buscavam sinais de abertura para a paz, a Rússia lançou sobre Kyiv um dos maiores ataques aéreos desde o início da invasão em 2022 — 598 drones e 31 mísseis que mataram ao menos 14 civis, entre eles três crianças. O ataque não foi apenas militar: foi uma resposta em escombros às pressões diplomáticas dos Estados Unidos, uma declaração de que a guerra continua sendo o instrumento preferido de Moscou. Há algo de antigo e trágico nessa lógica — a de que a força fala mais alto que a mesa de negociações, e que são sempre os mais vulneráveis quem paga o preço dessa escolha.
- Em meio a esforços diplomáticos liderados pelos EUA para aproximar Kyiv e Moscou de negociações de paz, a Rússia desferiu o segundo maior ataque aéreo da guerra, sinalizando que sua prioridade permanece militar, não diplomática.
- Escolas, um shopping center, a missão da União Europeia e os escritórios do British Council foram atingidos — os alvos reais contradizem frontalmente a narrativa russa de ataques exclusivamente militares.
- Zelensky denunciou o ataque como um 'massacre deliberado de civis' e exigiu novas sanções contra aliados da Rússia, incluindo China e Hungria, enquanto líderes ocidentais como Macron e Starmer publicaram condenações formais.
- O Kremlin afirmou que 'permanece interessado' em negociações de paz, mas confirmou que os bombardeios continuarão até que os objetivos russos sejam alcançados — uma contradição que define o impasse atual.
- Três anos e meio após o início da invasão, a lacuna entre o discurso de paz de Moscou e a realidade dos corpos retirados dos escombros em pijamas tornou-se o centro da narrativa política e humanitária do conflito.
Na manhã de quinta-feira, equipes de resgate retiravam corpos dos escombros de Kyiv. Ao menos 14 pessoas morreram, três delas crianças, no que se tornaria o segundo maior ataque aéreo russo contra a Ucrânia desde o início da invasão, em fevereiro de 2022.
A Rússia lançou 598 drones e 31 mísseis, incluindo dois supersônicos Kinzhal. As explosões foram ouvidas em ondas sucessivas. Moradores correram para abrigos e estações de metrô, alguns carregando animais de estimação. Uma escola foi atingida. Um shopping center foi atingido. O prédio da missão da União Europeia sofreu impacto direto. Os escritórios do British Council foram gravemente danificados.
O momento não foi acidental. Havia semanas que os Estados Unidos pressionavam ambos os lados em direção a negociações de paz. Mas o impulso diplomático havia estagnado. No dia anterior ao ataque, Moscou rejeitou a possibilidade de um encontro próximo entre Zelensky e Putin — uma conversa que Kyiv considerava essencial para romper o impasse.
Zelensky reagiu com indignação, chamando o ataque de 'massacre deliberado de civis' e exigindo novas sanções contra aliados da Rússia. Líderes ocidentais ecoaram a condenação: Macron listou os números como uma acusação formal, e Starmer afirmou que Putin estava 'matando crianças e sabotando as esperanças de paz'.
A resposta de Moscou foi uma contradição em si mesma. O porta-voz do Kremlin, Dmitri Peskov, declarou que a Rússia 'permanece interessada' em negociações, mas confirmou que os ataques continuariam até que os objetivos russos fossem alcançados. O Ministério da Defesa russo alegou ter visado instalações militares — sem mencionar a escola, o shopping ou os corpos retirados de áreas residenciais.
Três anos e meio após o início da invasão, com conversas de paz supostamente em andamento, a Rússia escolheu demonstrar que sua campanha militar permanece a prioridade. Os mortos em Kyiv foram a resposta a cada gesto diplomático. Os escombros, a posição de negociação.
On Thursday morning, rescue workers in Kyiv were pulling bodies from rubble. One emerged covered in dust, still dressed in pajamas, placed into a black plastic bag. At least fourteen people, three of them children, had been killed in what would become one of the largest aerial assaults Russia had launched against Ukraine since the invasion began in February 2022.
The attack came in waves. Russia deployed 598 drones and 31 missiles, including two supersonic Kinzhal weapons, turning the second-largest bombardment of the war into a statement of intent. Correspondents on the ground heard the explosions—powerful, sustained. They watched residents sprint toward underground shelters and metro stations, some carrying pets. A school was hit. A shopping center was hit. The European Union's mission building took direct fire. The British Council's offices were severely damaged.
The timing was deliberate. For weeks, diplomatic pressure from the United States had been building toward peace talks. President Donald Trump had pushed both sides toward negotiation. But the momentum had stalled, producing no concrete results. Russia, instead of moving toward the table, intensified its bombardment. The day before the strikes, Moscow had rejected the possibility of an imminent meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin—a conversation Kyiv considered essential to breaking the deadlock.
Zelensky responded with fury. He called the attack a "deliberate massacre of civilians" and accused Russia of choosing to "attack again" rather than end the war. He demanded new sanctions, specifically naming Russia's allies—China and Hungary—as targets for international pressure. The message was unambiguous: Russia was not negotiating in good faith. It was killing children while claiming to seek peace.
Western leaders echoed the condemnation. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote that Putin was "killing children and civilians, and sabotaging the hopes of peace." French President Emmanuel Macron posted the numbers like an indictment: "629 missiles and drones in one night against Ukraine. There is Russia's will for peace. Terror and barbarism." France and the United Kingdom both issued formal denunciations.
Moscow's response was a study in contradiction. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov stated that Russia "remains interested" in peace negotiations and would continue pursuing its objectives "through political and diplomatic means." Yet in the same breath, he confirmed that Russian forces would keep attacking military and paramilitary targets until those objectives were met. The message was clear: talks could happen, but the bombing would not stop.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed the strikes had targeted military-industrial facilities and air bases. It offered no acknowledgment of the school, the shopping center, the EU building, or the bodies being recovered from residential areas. The gap between stated targets and actual damage was the story itself—a gap measured in the lives of three children and eleven others who had been in the wrong place when the missiles fell.
Three and a half years into the invasion, with peace talks supposedly accelerating under American pressure, Russia had chosen to demonstrate that its military campaign remained the priority. The dead in Kyiv were the answer to every diplomatic overture. The rubble was the negotiating position.
Citas Notables
The Russians are not choosing to end the war, but to attack again— President Volodymyr Zelensky
Russia remains interested in peace negotiations but will continue attacking until its objectives are met— Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why would Russia intensify attacks right when peace talks were supposedly gaining momentum?
Because the talks weren't actually moving. Trump was pushing, but neither side had given ground on the core issues. Russia may have calculated that showing force—demonstrating it could still strike at will—was more valuable than sitting across a table with nothing to concede.
The Kremlin says it wants peace. How do you square that with bombing a school?
You don't. That's the contradiction Zelensky and Western leaders are pointing at. Russia can claim interest in negotiations while also saying it will keep attacking until its objectives are met. Those two things are incompatible if civilians are in the way.
What are Russia's stated objectives at this point?
The Kremlin hasn't been specific lately, but historically it's been territorial control and security guarantees. The problem is that every time negotiations seem close, Russia escalates militarily, which suggests the military campaign itself may be the real objective.
Does rejecting a Putin-Zelensky meeting tell us anything?
It tells us Russia doesn't think it needs to negotiate right now. If you're winning militarily—or believe you are—you don't rush to the table. You wait for the other side to weaken further.
What happens next?
Zelensky is calling for new sanctions. The West will likely condemn and perhaps impose measures. Russia will keep bombing. The cycle continues until one side runs out of capacity or will.