Kyiv, 7 December (H.S.): Russia executed a colossal overnight barrage on Ukraine Saturday, deploying 51 missiles and 653 drones that ravaged energy infrastructure and transport hubs nationwide, coinciding with the observance of Armed Forces Day.

Ukrainian air defenses valiantly neutralized 585 drones and 30 missiles, yet 29 sites sustained direct impacts, including power stations in Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Lviv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions, as well as Odesa port facilities.

At least eight civilians suffered injuries across multiple oblasts, with three reported in the Kyiv vicinity alone and drone incursions reaching as far as Lviv in the west, according to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.

Ukrenergo, the national energy operator, confirmed strikes on critical power and heating grids, exacerbating winter vulnerabilities, while the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant briefly lost off-site power, prompting International Atomic Energy Agency alerts.

This escalation unfolded even as US-Ukrainian peace negotiations in Miami advanced into their third day, underscoring Moscow's apparent defiance amid diplomatic overtures for a 28-point truce framework.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy decried the assault as militarily futile yet deliberately ruinous, urging intensified Western sanctions and air defense bolstering.

Russia's Defense Ministry justified the strikes as retaliation for alleged Ukrainian civilian-targeting actions.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar