His scream is still in my ears. I can't believe it.
In the hours before Ukraine's president was to meet with Donald Trump to discuss the shape of a possible peace, Russia launched one of its largest strikes on Kyiv — nearly 500 drones and 40 missiles falling on a city still trying to keep its lights on through winter. One person died, 27 were wounded, and children were among the injured. The attack was not merely military; it was a statement, delivered in fire and rubble, about who holds leverage at the negotiating table and at what cost.
- Russia unleashed hypersonic missiles and waves of drones on Kyiv before dawn, targeting the energy infrastructure that sustains civilian life in winter — a deliberate escalation timed to the eve of peace talks.
- An 18-story building burned, a 24-story tower was struck, and a woman stood weeping in the dark, unable to unhear the screams of a man dying in the flames next door.
- Putin appeared on state television in military fatigues, receiving reports of territorial gains in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia — projecting battlefield momentum alongside the aerial assault.
- Zelenskyy heads to Florida to meet Trump, carrying Ukraine's red lines: no recognition of Russian territorial claims, and a demand for security guarantees that mirror NATO's Article 5 mutual defense commitment.
- The central question hanging over the talks is whether any framework for peace can hold when one side is still actively raising the cost of negotiation.
The explosions began before dawn and continued for hours — ballistic missiles and drones striking Kyiv in waves, hitting apartment towers, power plants, and the infrastructure that keeps a city alive through winter. Nearly 500 drones and 40 missiles, including Kinzhal hypersonic weapons launched from land, air, and sea. One person was killed. Twenty-seven were wounded. Two of them were children.
The human toll was immediate and intimate. An 18-story building in the Dnipro district caught fire. A 24-story tower in Darnytsia was struck. Olena Karpenko, 52, was inside her apartment when the blasts came. She heard a man screaming as he burned to death in a nearby building. 'His scream is still in my ears,' she said, weeping. 'I can't believe it.' Across multiple districts, electricity and heating went out. Rescue workers pulled survivors from rubble; a body was recovered from the debris of another building.
The timing was not incidental. Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was scheduled to fly to Florida the following day to meet with Donald Trump and discuss how to end nearly four years of war. That same night, the Kremlin released footage of Putin in military fatigues at a command post, receiving reports that Russian forces had taken full control of Myrnohrad in Donetsk and Huliaipole in Zaporizhzhia. Moscow was claiming momentum on the ground while striking the capital from the air. Putin's message was direct: if Kyiv would not end the war peacefully, Russia would achieve its objectives by force.
Zelenskyy arrived at the talks carrying clear priorities and firm limits. Ukraine would not recognize any Russian territorial claims under any circumstances. But his central demand was security guarantees — protections modeled on NATO's Article 5, ensuring that an attack on Ukraine would trigger a collective military response. The details remained unresolved. As he prepared to negotiate, the missiles had already made Russia's opening argument.
The explosions started before dawn on Saturday and did not stop for hours. Ballistic missiles and drones descended on Kyiv in waves, hitting apartment buildings, power plants, and the infrastructure that keeps a city alive through winter. When the smoke cleared, one person was dead and 27 others were wounded. The timing was not accidental: Ukraine's president was scheduled to fly to Florida the next day to meet with Donald Trump and discuss how to end nearly four years of war.
Russia's Defense Ministry called it a "massive strike." The numbers bore that out. Nearly 500 drones and 40 missiles of various types, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The weapons included Kinzhal hypersonic missiles—among the most advanced in Russia's arsenal—launched from land, air, and sea. Moscow said the targets were energy facilities and military-industrial sites. The message was unmistakable: Russia was raising the stakes just as negotiations were about to begin.
The human cost was immediate and visible. An 18-story residential building in the Dnipro district caught fire. A 24-story building in Darnytsia was hit. More fires erupted in the Obolonskyi and Holosiivsky districts. Over 10 residential buildings sustained damage. Emergency crews pulled people from rubble. Two children were among those wounded. Olena Karpenko, 52, was in her apartment when the blasts came. She heard a man screaming as he burned to death in a nearby building. "His scream is still in my ears," she said, weeping. "I can't believe it." She had heard the explosion at a thermal power plant first, then a stronger blast that shook her windows, then the hit on her own building. "I saw how the apartment was burning, there was a fire and we heard a man's screams, begging for help."
In some districts of the Kyiv region, there was no electricity or heating. The strikes hit seven locations across the capital. In the Vyshhorod area, rescue workers found one person alive under the rubble of a destroyed house. A body was recovered from under the debris of another building. Kyiv's military administration chief, Tymur Tkachenko, said the entire center of the city had been under drone attack. Russia, he said, was sending a message: it was raising the stakes in this war.
The timing suggested coordination with a broader military push. On Saturday night, the Kremlin released a video of Putin in military fatigues at an unidentified command post, receiving reports from his top generals. Russia's General Staff chief reported that Russian troops had taken full control of Myrnohrad in Donetsk and Huliaipole in Zaporizhzhia, along with several other settlements. Ukraine's military said it was repelling Russian attempts to advance in those same areas, but the narrative was clear: Moscow was claiming momentum on the ground while striking the capital from the air.
Putin himself delivered the message. If Kyiv's authorities were not willing to end the war peacefully, he said, Russia would achieve all its objectives by military means. It was a statement aimed at both Ukraine and the American president Zelenskyy was about to meet.
Zelenskyy was preparing to travel to Florida for talks with Trump on Sunday. Before that, he planned to stop in Canada to meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney and speak online with European leaders. He told journalists he wanted to arrive with "as few unresolved issues as possible," while respecting Ukraine's red lines. The most sensitive issues would be territorial concessions—particularly Donetsk and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine would never recognize any territory as Russian under any circumstances.
But his priority, he said, was security guarantees. The United States had committed to providing protections that would mirror NATO's Article 5—meaning an attack on Ukraine would trigger a collective military response from the U.S. and its allies. The details, however, remained to be worked out. "The most important issue I want to stress today is security guarantees," Zelenskyy said. "Beyond territorial issues and the nuclear plant, security guarantees are critically important for us." He acknowledged that compromise proposals existed, that the Americans knew what they were, and that Russia had its own goals. But as the missiles fell on Kyiv, the question was whether any of those compromises could hold.
Citações Notáveis
His scream is still in my ears. I can't believe it.— Olena Karpenko, 52, witness to the attack
If Kyiv authorities are not willing to end the matter peacefully, we will achieve all the goals we have in the special military operation by military means.— Vladimir Putin
The most important issue I want to stress today is security guarantees. Beyond territorial issues and the nuclear plant, security guarantees are critically important for us.— Volodymyr Zelenskyy
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why strike now, hours before these talks? What does Russia gain by hitting the city right before Zelenskyy meets Trump?
It's a show of force at the exact moment when Ukraine is trying to negotiate from a position of strength. Russia is saying: we can still hurt you, we're still advancing on the ground, and we're not afraid of what you might agree to with the Americans.
But doesn't that make Zelenskyy's negotiating position stronger? Doesn't it show Trump what Ukraine is actually facing?
It could. But it also sends a message to Trump—that Russia won't be easily deterred, that the war is escalating, not winding down. Putin is betting that Trump will see the cost of continued support and push Zelenskyy toward concessions.
What about the people in those buildings? The woman who heard a man screaming?
That's the reality underneath all the strategy. The missiles don't distinguish between military targets and apartment blocks. One person is dead, 27 are wounded, children are among them, and entire neighborhoods have no heat or power in winter. That's what Zelenskyy is carrying into those talks.
Does Zelenskyy have any leverage at all if Russia keeps doing this?
His leverage is that he's still standing, still fighting, and still willing to talk. And he's about to sit across from the American president. But every strike like this one narrows the window for negotiation. At some point, the cost becomes too high for any compromise.