A residential building damaged in Russian missile and drone strikes on the Kyiv region of Ukraine, pictured on December 27, 2025. State Emergency Service of Ukraine/ReutersRussia launched a large-scale missile and drone attack on Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine on December 27, 2025, one day before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was due to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida for talks on a possible framework to end the war.
Ukraine said Russia used about 500 drones and 40 missiles during the assault. A nearly 10-hour air-raid alert was imposed in Kyiv as explosions were reported across the capital and air defenses engaged incoming weapons. By later that day, authorities said two people had been killed in Kyiv and the surrounding region and at least 46 people had been wounded, including two children, according to Reuters.
Energy Infrastructure and Residential Areas Were Hit
Ukraine's state grid operator Ukrenergo said energy facilities were struck and emergency power cuts were introduced in Kyiv. DTEK, the country's largest private energy company, said more than one million households in Kyiv and the surrounding region lost electricity after the attack.
Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said more than 40% of residential buildings in the capital were without heating while temperatures were around freezing. Residential buildings were also damaged during the bombardment.
Ukraine's military said the attack included several types of missiles and large numbers of drones. Russia's Defense Ministry described its operation as a massive strike, while Moscow has repeatedly said its attacks are directed at military and military-related infrastructure. Damage to homes and civilian infrastructure, however, was documented by Ukrainian authorities and international news organizations.
The immediate disruption proved partly reversible. On December 28, DTEK said electricity had been restored to more than one million households: about 748,000 in Kyiv and 347,000 in the surrounding region. Emergency outages nevertheless remained in parts of the capital and Kyiv region, according to Reuters.
Zelenskyy Linked the Timing to the Peace Effort
Zelenskyy argued that the timing of the attack showed Moscow's response to the U.S.-brokered diplomatic effort. That was the Ukrainian president's characterization of Russia's intentions, rather than an independently established motive for the strike.
"Today, Russia demonstrated how it responds to peaceful negotiations between Ukraine and the United States to end Russia's war against Ukraine," Zelenskyy told reporters.
The attack came as Zelenskyy traveled toward Florida for his December 28 meeting with Trump. The talks were expected to address two of the most difficult elements of a potential settlement: security guarantees for Ukraine and the future of territory occupied or claimed by Russia.
The diplomatic effort followed earlier rounds of negotiations and high-level contacts during 2025. News Fusion 365 previously examined the wider negotiations involving Trump, Russia and Ukraine.
Territory and Security Guarantees Remained Unresolved
At the time of the December 27 attack, Kyiv and Moscow remained far apart on fundamental territorial questions. Russia was demanding that Ukrainian forces withdraw from parts of the Donetsk region that Moscow claimed but did not fully control. Ukraine favored stopping the fighting along the existing front rather than surrendering additional territory.
Zelenskyy said a proposed 20-point framework was close to completion but indicated that territorial provisions could require approval through Ukraine's constitutional and political processes. He also said meaningful security guarantees from the United States and other partners would be essential to any durable settlement.
The status of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was another unresolved issue. These questions meant that the Florida meeting was part of an ongoing negotiating process rather than evidence that a final peace agreement had already been reached.
What Happened at the Trump-Zelenskyy Meeting
The following day, Trump and Zelenskyy met at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. Both leaders said progress had been made, particularly on a proposed security framework, but they did not announce a final peace settlement.
Trump said the two sides were substantially closer to an agreement while acknowledging that difficult issues remained. Zelenskyy said work on security guarantees had advanced, but the territorial dispute over Donbas remained unresolved. The discussions therefore represented further negotiations, not a ceasefire or completed peace agreement.
Trump had also spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin before meeting Zelenskyy. Russia continued to press its territorial demands, while Ukraine maintained that decisions involving Ukrainian territory would have to comply with Ukrainian law and receive the necessary domestic approval.
The Strike in the Broader Air War
The December 27 assault was part of a sustained Russian campaign against Ukraine's energy system and cities. Energy infrastructure had repeatedly been targeted during previous winters, producing power and heating disruptions while Ukraine sought additional air-defense systems and interceptor missiles from its partners.
Ukraine has also conducted long-range drone and missile attacks against targets inside Russia, including military facilities and energy infrastructure. Both governments regularly issue claims about interceptions and damage that cannot always be independently verified in real time.
The December attack demonstrated how military operations and diplomacy were proceeding simultaneously. It did not by itself establish Moscow's negotiating intentions, but it inflicted significant civilian and infrastructure damage immediately before a meeting focused on how the war might eventually be ended.
The broader pattern of Russian strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure had already been visible earlier in the conflict, including previous attacks across Ukraine.
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