TRANSCRIPT:
Tetiana Yaroshenko is a displaced woman from Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region who had moved to Kyiv's Sviatoshynskyi district.
She is one of those caught up in a Russia air strike of more than 630 drones and nearly 40 missiles in an overnight barrage in Ukraine.
"I was sitting in my apartment, I heard the drone flying and it was already flying close. I immediately realised what it was and I saw a glow. I thought it had flown into our apartment. My daughter was blown out into the corridor by a blast wave. I looked around, what can I say here?"]]
The strike hit homes and the power grid in 13 regions in total, killing at least three civilians, including a four-year-old child.
It's the ninth large-scale Russian attack on Ukraine’s energy system this year.
The head of Kyiv’s Sviatoshynskyi district, Heorhiy Zantaraia, says residents will be allowed back inside once temporary repairs are completed.
"Sometime around 9am there was damage to these houses. In total, seven houses were previously damaged here. You can see the common property, these are windows and the facade. ... We have reported five people injured, four at this location, one person at another location. The four people who were injured here, in total, all five are hospitalised, among them one child under 16."
The strikes has come just days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said progress was being made on potential peace arrangements.
In his nightly address, President Zelenskyy confirmed his negotiating team had returned from talks in the United States.
He says draft agreements have been strengthened.
"Today, our negotiating team presented a detailed report: Rustem Umerov and Andrii Hnatov returned after meetings in the United States with envoys of President (Donald) Trump. They reported on the working drafts of agreements that already exist, and on points of the agreements we have managed to strengthen. We remain in constant contact with the United States and look forward to further collaboration."
Meanwhile the fighting continues.
Ukraine’s military says it has withdrawn from the eastern town of Siversk to preserve lives amid overwhelming Russian numbers, after inflicting heavy losses.
Russia has claimed further territorial gains in Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk and says it has struck Ukrainian energy and military sites with hypersonic Kinzhal missiles.
The President says the latest Russian strike sends a clear signal about Russia's priorities.
"We sense that America wants to reach a final agreement, and from our side, there is full cooperation. Ukraine has never been, and will never be, an obstacle to peace. We are working actively and doing everything necessary to ensure that the documents come to fruition and that they are realistic. The key is that Russia must not sabotage this diplomacy and must take ending the war 100 percent seriously."
Pope Leo XIV has appealed from Italy for a holiday truce - but those calls have failed.
The pontiff has described that news as deeply distressing.
“One of the things that is causing greatest sadness to me in these days is that apparently Russia rejected the request of a Christmas truce. Once again I urge all the good willing people to respect, at least during the festivity of the birth of the Saviour, one day of peace. I hope they will listen to us and that there might be a day, 24 hours of peace worldwide.”
These diplomatic efforts are of little comfort to 35 year old security guard and father of three Andrii Stets - whose family was also caught up in the latest Russian strike.
He says his flat and all its contents have been damaged - and they're not sure what their options are now.
“I ran back to the flat and saw what happened. The flat was destroyed inside. All the furniture was damaged. ... We have three children — a 13-year-old, an 11-year-old and a three-month-old baby. I don’t know what to do next.”
