Ukrainian rescue teams worked through the night and into Monday morning, searching for survivors in the rubble of a private medical facility in Kyiv following a major Russian drone and missile attack. The assault, which came just a day before key European allies were set to meet in Paris to discuss a peace plan, left a trail of destruction, casualties, and forced evacuations in freezing conditions.
Overnight Assault Triggers Hospital Fire and Evacuations
In the early hours of Monday, day 1,413 of the full-scale invasion, Russia launched a barrage of 165 drones and at least nine missiles across Ukraine. The strikes proved deadly in the capital region, killing two people and injuring several others.
The attack triggered a significant fire at a private hospital in Kyiv, resulting in one fatality and three people wounded. The situation was so dire that medical staff had to conduct a perilous evacuation. "Doctors and nurses were forced to evacuate the wounded under fire," Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko stated on social media platform X.
In the neighbouring city of Fastiv, a separate strike claimed the life of a man in his 70s. The assault also caused widespread power outages, forcing authorities to activate backup systems to maintain critical water and heating supplies as temperatures plunged to -8C.
Diplomatic Push in Paris Amid Escalating Violence
The violence casts a stark shadow over high-level diplomatic efforts set to unfold in Paris on Tuesday. French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting a meeting of a "coalition of the willing" to discuss security guarantees as part of a potential peace proposal. Notably, the delegation will include Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
This gathering follows a weekend meeting of security advisers from 15 nations, including the UK, France, and Germany, alongside NATO and EU representatives, in Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has indicated that a peace plan is "90%" ready and stated on Monday, "This week, we will be working with our European and American partners to ensure that Ukraine has the assistance it needs."
Meanwhile, attacks continued elsewhere. Russian forces launched five missile strikes on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city, damaging energy infrastructure. Mayor Ihor Terekhov condemned the assault, saying, "It's not just an attack on facilities. It's an attack on heating, on water, on people's normal lives. They are trying to break us with fear and darkness." At least one civilian was reported injured.
Internal Shake-up and Accusations of Targeting US Interests
Amid the external pressure, President Zelenskyy is overseeing significant internal changes. He announced the appointment of Canada's former finance minister Chrystia Freeland as an adviser on economic development to bolster the nation's "internal resilience."
In a major security reshuffle, the head of Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), Vasyl Malyuk, was forced to resign. Zelenskyy stated Malyuk would be reassigned to oversee unconventional warfare, emphasising the need for "more Ukrainian asymmetric operations against the occupier."
Ukrainian officials also accused Russia of deliberately targeting US business interests. A strike on an enterprise owned by US agricultural giant Bunge in Dnipro caused a sunflower oil leak. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said this demonstrated President Vladimir Putin's "complete disregard" for US-led peace efforts. On the ground, Russia claimed to have seized the village of Grabovske in the Sumy region.
As European leaders convene in Paris, the overnight attacks in Kyiv serve as a brutal reminder of the urgent human cost of the conflict and the formidable challenges facing any diplomatic path to peace.
