[This article, published on May 24, was later updated on May 25]

Kyiv and several other Ukrainian cities have been pounded by the largest Russian aerial attack since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, as 298 drones and 69 missiles were launched in waves overnight, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens more, including children.

The assault came just hours after Ukraine and Russia completed the first phase of a major prisoner exchange, initially viewed as a potential step toward a ceasefire.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the strike as a calculated act of terror and accused Moscow of deliberately sabotaging peace efforts. “Ukraine has proposed a ceasefire many times,” he said. “It all has been ignored.”

The attacks hit numerous regions including Kyiv, Odesa, Mykolaiv and Khmelnytskyi, with missile debris and bombs damaging residential buildings and infrastructure. In Markhalivka, a family home was destroyed, killing three siblings named Stanislav, Roman and Tamara Martyniuk.

As exhausted citizens sought shelter in bunkers and subway stations, criticism mounted over the lack of decisive international response. Zelenskyy blasted the “silence of America,” warning that it “only encourages Putin.” Though Trump’s envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, condemned the killing of civilians, he did not name Russia in his statement.

Trump himself, asked about sanctions, said “I’m not happy with Putin.”

The timing of the assault, following a week of inconclusive peace talks and a call between Trump and Putin, has fueled allegations that the U.S. is no longer exerting real pressure on Moscow. Experts and Ukrainian officials now believe that recent negotiations may have been a smokescreen for continued Russian escalation.

Meanwhile, Russia claimed to have captured new territory in Donetsk and Sumy, reinforcing fears of a renewed summer offensive.

As drones and missiles continue to hit civilian targets, Zelenskyy’s government insists that without firm international pressure and military aid, more nights like this one are inevitable, and any hope for an early ceasefire will remain out of reach.