Russia attacked the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk overnight, according to Mayor Vitalii Maletskyi, who called the strike proof that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not want peace.
The assault came just one day after President Donald Trump met European leaders and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington. Trump announced that the U.S. would help guarantee Ukraine’s security as part of any eventual peace deal.
Following the meeting, Trump said he called Putin and began working on an arrangement for a summit involving himself, Putin, and Zelenskyy with the goal of securing peace.
“At the very same time when Putin was assuring Trump over the phone that he seeks peace, and when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was holding talks at the White House with European leaders about a just peace, Putin’s army launched yet another massive attack on Kremenchuk,” Maletskyi wrote on Telegram.
“Once again, the world has seen that Putin does not want peace — he wants to destroy Ukraine,” he added.
Largest August Strike So Far
According to the Ukrainian air force, the overnight attack was the largest of August, with Russia launching 270 drones and 10 missiles.
Maletskyi reported that multiple blasts shook Kremenchuk, striking energy and transport facilities and leaving hundreds in the Poltava region without electricity.
The Ukrainian air force said it shot down 230 drones and six missiles but confirmed strikes at 16 separate locations.
Damage Across Regions
Poltava Governor Volodymyr Kohut said the strikes damaged administrative buildings tied to energy infrastructure. Nearly 1,500 homes and 119 businesses in the Lubny district lost power.
In the north, Governor Viacheslav Chaus reported that a separate Tuesday morning drone attack on the Chernihiv region damaged infrastructure and triggered additional power cuts.
Despite the scale of the assault, officials confirmed there were no casualties.
Russia claimed on Tuesday that Ukrainian drone attacks caused fires at an oil refinery and a hospital roof in the Volgograd region.
Both sides have increasingly targeted each other’s infrastructure during the war, with energy systems often at the center of such strikes.
Author’s Opinion
Putin telling Trump he wants peace while launching one of the biggest strikes of the month shows how little sincerity there is behind Moscow’s words. The mixed signals make any summit look like a stalling tactic rather than a genuine step toward peace. Ukraine’s reality is measured in drone swarms, missile strikes, and blackouts — not in promises made over the phone.
Featured image credit: Trong Khiem Nguyen via Flickr
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