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Zelensky Poised for Post‑War Victory as Russia’s Massive Night Strikes End U.S.‑Backed Pause

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  • Governor of Mykolaiv, Vitaliy Kim, speaks to reporters following a Russian attack at the regional government headquarters in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 29, 2022.
    Governor of Mykolaiv, Vitaliy Kim, speaks to reporters following a Russian attack at the regional government headquarters in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 29, 2022.
    Image: Newsweek
    Governor of Mykolaiv, Vitaliy Kim, speaks to reporters following a Russian attack at the regional government headquarters in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 29, 2022. Source Full size
  • President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
    President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
    Image: Newsweek
    President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Source Full size
  • Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a joint press conference with Lithuania’s President and Poland’s President, after attending commemorations of the 1863 uprising, in Vilnius on January 25, 2026.
    Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a joint press conference with Lithuania’s President and Poland’s President, after attending commemorations of the 1863 uprising, in Vilnius on January 25, 2026.
    Image: Newsweek
    Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a joint press conference with Lithuania’s President and Poland’s President, after attending commemorations of the 1863 uprising, in Vilnius on January 25, 2026. Source Full size
  • The site of a drone attack in Kyiv earlier in January
    The site of a drone attack in Kyiv earlier in January
    Image: BBC
    The site of a drone attack in Kyiv earlier in January (PA Media) Source Full size
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump pose on a podium on the tarmac after they arrived to attend a meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, the United States. Sergey Bobylev / Sputnik via AP
    Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump pose on a podium on the tarmac after they arrived to attend a meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, the United States. Sergey Bobylev / Sputnik via AP
    Image: Newsweek
    Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump pose on a podium on the tarmac after they arrived to attend a meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, the United States. Sergey Bobylev / Sputnik via AP Source Full size
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    None
    Image: AP
    Source Full size
  • The site of a drone attack in Kyiv earlier in January
    The site of a drone attack in Kyiv earlier in January
    Image: BBC
    The site of a drone attack in Kyiv earlier in January (PA Media) Source Full size
  • Governor of Mykolaiv, Vitaliy Kim, speaks to reporters following a Russian attack at the regional government headquarters in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 29, 2022.
    Governor of Mykolaiv, Vitaliy Kim, speaks to reporters following a Russian attack at the regional government headquarters in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 29, 2022.
    Image: Newsweek
    Governor of Mykolaiv, Vitaliy Kim, speaks to reporters following a Russian attack at the regional government headquarters in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 29, 2022. Source Full size
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump pose on a podium on the tarmac after they arrived to attend a meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, the United States. Sergey Bobylev / Sputnik via AP
    Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump pose on a podium on the tarmac after they arrived to attend a meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, the United States. Sergey Bobylev / Sputnik via AP
    Image: Newsweek
    Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump pose on a podium on the tarmac after they arrived to attend a meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, the United States. Sergey Bobylev / Sputnik via AP Source Full size
  • Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a joint press conference with Lithuania’s President and Poland’s President, after attending commemorations of the 1863 uprising, in Vilnius on January 25, 2026.
    Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a joint press conference with Lithuania’s President and Poland’s President, after attending commemorations of the 1863 uprising, in Vilnius on January 25, 2026.
    Image: Newsweek
    Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a joint press conference with Lithuania’s President and Poland’s President, after attending commemorations of the 1863 uprising, in Vilnius on January 25, 2026. Source Full size
  • President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
    President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
    Image: Newsweek
    President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Source Full size
  • None
    None
    Image: AP
    Source Full size

Ceasefire pause collapses under Russia’s largest 2026 strike On the night of Feb 3, Russia unleashed its biggest missile‑drone barrage of the year, hitting Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia and Odesa and ending the U.S.‑mediated pause. CNN and AP report roughly 70 missiles and 450 drones targeting power facilities, while AP notes a record 32 ballistic missiles in the same attack [3][4]. The strikes cut heat for tens of thousands, with temperatures plunging to ‑20 °C in Kyiv and ‑25 °C in Kharkiv, forcing residents into shelters [3][4].

Zelensky demands U.S. response and offers reciprocal truce President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Washington for a decisive reaction after the energy‑grid assault and thanked Trump for the “possibility of security” during the extreme cold [3][8]. He also proposed a mirror‑response cease‑fire on Russian energy sites if Moscow halted attacks on Ukraine, positioning the United States as the mediator of the talks [6][8]. Mykolaiv Governor Vitaliy Kim later said Zelensky is “the best candidate” for a post‑war presidency, predicting he would likely win the next election once hostilities cease [1].

Trump’s cease‑fire claim meets Russian denial and allied split Trump asserted he secured a one‑week pause from Putin, saying the Russian leader “kept his word,” yet Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the halt as limited and ending on Feb 1, refusing to confirm a formal cease‑fire [2][7][9]. U.S. senators are divided: John Thune pledged pressure tools on Russia, while Roger Wicker and Chuck Schumer criticized the plan as favoring Putin [2]. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the energy attacks as “barbaric,” highlighting international disagreement over the pause’s legitimacy [2].

Humanitarian toll deepens amid winter‑weaponized attacks The night barrage damaged residential buildings, a kindergarten and a museum, killing two teenagers in Zaporizhzhia and injuring dozens across Kyiv and Kharkiv [3][4]. Energy firm DTEK entered “survival mode” after two of its five plants were knocked offline, threatening further blackouts [3]. Cold‑weather conditions left over 1,200 high‑rise buildings without heating in Kyiv and thousands more across major cities, exacerbating a humanitarian crisis already marked by rolling blackouts and rising civilian casualties [3][4][5].

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Timeline

March 2022 – Russian violations halt evacuation plans from Mariupol, marking an early cease‑fire breakdown and foreshadowing the difficulty of sustaining truces in the war [4].

May 2025 – Ukraine accuses Russia of breaking a three‑day cease‑fire, while Russian state media claims it held, underscoring the fragility of temporary pauses [4].

Dec 13, 2025 – Russia launches a night‑long drone and missile barrage that uses more than 450 drones and 30 missiles, knocking out power for over 1 million households in Odesa, Mykolaiv and Kherson; President Zelensky says Moscow “weaponizes winter,” DTEK reports damage to 20 substations, US envoy Steve Witkoff plans a Berlin meeting with European leaders on a US‑backed peace plan, and Ukrainian forces claim a counter‑offensive pushes Russian units out of Kupiansk [5].

Dec 14, 2025 – Russia strikes five Ukrainian regions with over 450 drones and 30 missiles, crippling the grid; Ukraine retaliates with a drone strike on Russia’s Saratov region that kills two civilians; Berlin prepares high‑level peace talks with US envoys and European partners; Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov says a cease‑fire will follow Ukrainian withdrawal from parts of Donetsk; Odesa port attacks ignite grain‑silo fires and wound civilians [11].

Jan 15, 2026 – President Zelensky declares a state of emergency for the energy sector, creates a 24‑hour task force, and orders foreign equipment purchases to repair damage; he accuses Moscow of “exploiting the harsh winter” as Kyiv temperatures hover around –20 °C; Trump tells Reuters that Ukraine is “less ready” for a peace deal than Russia; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Putin remains open to talks; DTEK reports constant grid crises while serving 5.6 million people; the UN monitoring mission records 2,514 civilian deaths in the past year [2].

Jan 29, 2026 – Trump tells a White House cabinet meeting that he asked President Putin not to fire on Kyiv and other cities for a week and that Putin “agreed,” calling it a “one‑week moratorium” amid extreme cold; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declines to comment; Ukraine’s State Emergency Service warns temperatures could plunge to –30 °C, threatening power shortages; recent Russian strikes kill three civilians in Zaporizhzhia and injure two in Dnipropetrovsk; Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov seeks to block Russian use of Starlink for drone guidance, thanking Elon Musk for a swift response; EU foreign minister Kaja Kallas accuses Russia of not taking negotiations seriously while US envoy Steve Witkoff says three‑way talks show “a lot of progress” [9][1].

Jan 30, 2026 – Trump repeats that Putin consented to a week‑long pause on attacks, and Zelensky thanks him on X, saying the pause could protect Kyiv’s energy infrastructure and citing Abu Dhabi trilateral talks; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov offers no confirmation of a cease‑fire; Ukrainian Air Force reports five missiles and 25 drones across 15 regions, intercepting 80 drones; Zelensky proposes a reciprocal energy truce, offering to halt strikes on Russian energy if Moscow stops hitting Ukraine; severe winter forecasts predict –30 °C, and officials accuse Russia of “weaponizing winter”; Abu Dhabi summit discussions raise the prospect of an energy‑strike pause, with fresh negotiations slated for Sunday [4][8][1].

Jan 31, 2026 – Kremlin confirms that Trump personally asked Putin to halt attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure until Feb 1 and that Russia complied, noting no night‑time strikes on Jan 29‑30 but a shift to targeting logistics; Russian forces execute surrendered Ukrainian border guards captured in a December 2025 cross‑border attack, highlighting rising war‑crime allegations; limited Russian advances occur near Lyman, Kostyantynivka, and in western Zaporizhia, though front lines stay largely static; a massive barrage of 111 drones and one Iskander‑M missile hits Ukrainian targets, with 80 drones downed and civilian injuries reported [12][4].

Feb 3, 2026 – Russia unleashes its largest missile‑drone strike of 2026, hitting Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia and Odesa, cutting heat for tens of thousands and ending the week‑long pause; Zelensky urges an American response, noting about 70 missiles and 450 drones target power facilities in six regions; the White House says the pause was a US‑proposed suspension and that trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi will continue; temperatures plunge to –20 °C in Kyiv and –25 °C in Kharkiv, forcing residents into shelters; civilian casualties rise as two teenagers die in Zaporizhzhia and six are injured in Kyiv; DTEK’s CEO Maxim Timchenko says the firm operates in “survival mode” after two plants go offline [3][10].

Feb 4, 2026 – Trump again claims he secured a week‑long cease‑fire, saying he asked Putin to stop Kyiv strikes; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov frames the pause as limited and ending on Feb 1; Ukraine reports continued bombardment with roughly 70 missiles and 450 drones hitting power grids, contradicting the cease‑fire claim; US senators split on the peace push, with John Thune supporting pressure on Russia while Roger Wicker and Chuck Schumer criticize the plan; Mykolaiv Governor Vitaliy Kim predicts President Zelensky will win a post‑war election, describes Ukraine as exhausted but hopeful for peace, and notes elections are barred under martial law; Russia’s massive drone‑missile barrage cripples power in Kyiv and Kharkiv, leaving tens of thousands without heat amid –25 °C temperatures [7][6].

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