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Russia initiated a large-scale assault on Ukraine’s capital, causing apartment buildings to catch fire and resulting in the death of at least four individuals, according to Kyiv’s mayor on Friday, following Moscow’s rejection of the most recent peacekeeping proposal after the war.

Ukraine and its Western partners, working quickly to conclude the conflict as it nears its fourth year, have this week reached an agreement that Europe will send troops following a truce.

However, Moscow claims it initiated its February 2022 invasion partly to stop Kyiv from becoming part of the NATO defense agreement, and has consistently refused the notion of any Western military forces being based in Ukraine.

These forces would be “seen as valid military targets,” Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated on Thursday, labeling Ukraine and its U.S. and European allies as a “war axis.”

While diplomats strive for progress in what has become Europe’s most lethal conflict since World War II, Russia has kept advancing its attack, striking Ukraine every day.

Four individuals were killed and at least 19 others injured in drone attacks throughout Kyiv, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko’s statement on Friday morning.

A medical professional was fatally injured while attending to an attack at a building on the city’s eastern side, which was struck again.

Several areas were left without power during what Klitschko referred to as a “large-scale enemy missile strike.”

The nation’s armed forces stated, “every part of Ukraine is facing a missile danger,” following confirmation that Russian bombers had taken to the skies.

In the western city of Lviv, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that a hypersonic-speed ballistic missile hit “infrastructure sites” just before midnight.

It mentioned that the missile was moving at approximately 13,000 kilometers per hour.

Lviv’s mayor, Andriy Sadovy, stated that it was the Ukrainian armed forces’ responsibility to decide whether a nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile was involved in the attack close to the Polish border.

The local military authority stated later that radiation levels were within typical limits.

In late 2024, Russia deployed an Oreshnik missile equipped with a standard explosive payload to attack the city of Dnipro in central Ukraine.

– “Quite distant” from any agreement –

Russia’s newest wave of strikes followed the US Embassy in Kyiv’s warning on Thursday that a “possibly major aerial assault” might happen at any point over the next few days.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky repeated the uncommon caution in his nightly speech.

Ukraine continued efforts to restore heating and water supply to hundreds of thousands of homes following attacks on energy infrastructure in the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.

“This is genuinely a national-level crisis,” said Borys Filatov, mayor of Dnipropetrovsk’s capital, Dnipro, as families found themselves without electricity during the freezing cold of winter.

Although Zelensky mentioned that an agreement between Kyiv and Washington regarding US security assurances was “nearly finalized,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz noted that a ceasefire arrangement was still “quite distant” due to Russia’s stance.

Moscow reacted negatively when European leaders and U.S. officials revealed this week that post-war assurances for Ukraine would involve a U.S.-led oversight system and an international military force.

In its initial reaction following a meeting in Paris, Russia described the plan as “dangerous” and “destructive.”

Major territorial disputes also seem to still be pending resolution.

Russia, which controls approximately 20% of Ukraine, has demanded complete authority over the Donbas area as a condition for any agreement, a proposal that Kyiv refuses to accept.

The Russian military stated it had taken another village in the Dnipropetrovsk area on Thursday, as its slow but steady progress persists.

Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc.Syndigate.info).