Russia fires scores of missiles at Ukraine as Hungary threatens to block EU sanctions

"Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Kremlin had launched 297 drones and nearly 50 missiles on Sunday, in the latest in a wave of overnight strikes. He said a significant proportion had been shot down as he called on allies to strengthen the country's air defences against enemy attacks. The Ukrainian president said: Moscow continues to invest in strikes more than in diplomacy."

"This time, Russian targets included not only energy facilities, but also logistics, in particular railway and municipal water supply infrastructure. The Kremlin has systematically targeted Ukraine's energy grid, leaving more than half a million people in Kyiv without power. Other cities have been battered repeatedly, including Odesa and Kharkiv; while temperatures have fallen to as low as -22C (-7.6F) in the coldest winter for years."

"The intense barrage came amid escalating tensions between Ukraine and neighbouring Slovakia and Hungary. Budapest is threatening to block a new package of European Union sanctions; while Bratislava says it will shut off electricity supplies to Ukraine on Monday. Both are demanding the resumption of Russian oil deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline, which crosses Ukrainian territory. Kyiv says a Russian drone attack in January damaged the pipeline that supplies oil to central Europe."

Russian forces launched hundreds of aerial weapons, including 297 drones and nearly 50 missiles, in coordinated strikes across Ukraine. Attacks targeted energy facilities, railway and municipal water infrastructure, and residential areas, flattening a house in Kyiv and causing widespread power outages for over half a million people. Cities including Odesa and Kharkiv suffered repeated bombardment amid one of the coldest winters in years with temperatures down to −22°C. Ukrainian leadership reported many weapons were shot down and urged allies to bolster air defences. Diplomatic talks in Geneva did not halt the strikes. Tensions rose with Slovakia and Hungary over Druzhba pipeline deliveries and EU sanctions.

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