Nato scrambles fighter jets as Putin blasts Ukraine

by · Mail Online

NATO was forced to scramble fighter jets as Vladimir Putin unleashed a missile and drone barrage on Ukraine just hours before Volodymyr Zelensky was due to meet Donald Trump in Florida for talks on a US-brokered peace plan.

Polish and allied warplanes were deployed near Ukraine's border amid the overnight onslaught, which saw drones slam into apartment blocks and multiple power and heating plants knocked offline.

'Fighter jets have been scrambled, and ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems placed on a state of readiness,' said Poland's operational command.

This was 'preventive' and 'aimed at securing and protecting the airspace, particularly in areas adjacent to the threatened regions'.

The command added that forces and assets remained ready for an immediate response as the situation was monitored in real time.

There was also an alert in NATO member Romania after Russian drones struck Ukrainian port infrastructure close to its border overnight, prompting nighttime warnings in two counties.

The move followed similar NATO airspace measures earlier in the week.

Vladimir Putin unleashed savage overnight strikes on Kyiv, hammering residential tower blocks and energy infrastructure just hours before Volodymyr Zelensky is due to meet Donald Trump in Florida for talks on a US-brokered peace plan
A drone hits an apartment building during a Russian missile and drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, December 27
The overnight assault - which included drones slamming into apartment blocks and the disabling of multiple power and heating plants - raises profound questions over whether Putin has any genuine intention of ending the war

In Ukraine, the strikes hit residential buildings and critical energy facilities, triggering power cuts in Kyiv and surrounding regions. 

Mayor Vitali Klitschko said around a third of the capital lost heating.

At least two civilians were killed – a 76-year-old woman and a four-year-old girl – with ten others injured, including three children. 

Rescuers pulled survivors from the ruins of destroyed homes in the wider Kyiv region, including Vyshgorod.

Explosions were reported across multiple regions, including Kharkiv, Rivne, Ivano-Frankivsk, Cherkasy and Khmelnytskyi, as Russia deployed missiles in what appeared to be a calculated show of force on the eve of the talks.

Ukraine's air force said Russia fired a total of 673 missiles and drones – among the heaviest assaults of the war – but claimed its defences downed or disrupted 621 of them, including 587 Shahed and Gerbera drones and 34 cruise missiles. 

Despite the high interception rate, the strikes killed and wounded civilians and caused widespread destruction.

The onslaught came after Trump warned that Ukraine's leader would need to convince him at the summit, saying: 'We'll see what he's got,' as pressure mounts to end the war
Firefighter crews work to extinguish flames following a Russian attack on Kyiv
Ahead of the attacks Volodymyr Zelensky claimed Putin was addicted to killing and would not give up the war
Russia fired a total of 673 missiles and drones at Ukraine today - among the heaviest onslaughts of the war, as Volodymyr Zelensky accused Vladimir Putin of being addicted to killing

Ahead of the bombardment, Zelensky accused Putin of being 'addicted to killing' and incapable of ending the war, even over Christmas.

'After so many years – first of hybrid warfare and now of full-scale war – it is hard to believe that Putin is capable of living without killings and invasions,' he said.

The assault came as Zelensky prepared to travel to the United States for Sunday's meeting with Trump, talks now overshadowed by renewed bombardment and fresh Russian accusations. Trump has insisted Russia 'wants' peace.

The Kremlin signalled its opposition to the proposed plan ahead of the Florida talks, with senior officials accusing Kyiv and its European backers of attempting to 'torpedo' negotiations.

Zelensky said discussions with Washington continued over sensitive issues including territorial concessions, security guarantees and the future of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, which remains under Russian control. 

He said any territorial concessions would require the approval of the Ukrainian people.

A New Year greetings card to his henchmen from Putin promised 'changes for the better' and urged them to 'share their warmth with our loved ones'
Russia deployed the full force of its Tu-22M3 long-range strategic bombers, firing hypersonic Kinzhal missiles alongside Iskander and Kalibr cruise missiles, and swarms of Shahed drones in what appeared to be a calculated show of force on the eve of the talks
Rescuers work as they search for bodies at the site of an apartment building hit during Russian missile and drone strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine in Kyiv, Ukraine December 27
This photograph taken on December 27, 2025 shows Ukrainian air defence firing at drones during a Russian drones and missiles attack, in Kyiv, amid the Russian invasion in Ukraine
In Vyshgorod, in the wider Kyiv region, rescuers pulled a man from the ruins of a house destroyed in a Russian strike. Pictured: A building damaged during a Russian drone and missile attack in Kyiv,

'I think we will know their official response in the coming days,' Zelensky said.

'Russia is always looking for reasons not to agree.'

The Russian onslaught came a day after high-ranking Russian Lt-Gen Fanil Sarvarov, 56, was killed in a suspected Ukrainian assassination operation in Moscow.

A day earlier, NATO forces were forced to scramble F-16 fighters over Romania.

Territory close to the Romanian border was again hit on Saturday, with Kh-22 cruise missiles launched from Tu-22M3 long-range bombers striking Ukraine's Odesa region.

Ukrainian war commentator Denis Kazansky said the attacks showed Russia's contempt for calls for a ceasefire over New Year and Christmas.

'They again struck residential buildings and civilian targets with drones and missiles,' he said.

Kyiv was bathed in smog from burning buildings following the attacks from hell
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said around one third of the capital had lost heating, while at least 11 people were injured, eight of them hospitalised, as smog from burning buildings blanketed the city
Ukrainian war commentator Denis Kazansky said the attacks showed Russia's contempt for calls for a ceasefire over New Year and Christmas

'To leave people without heat in freezing cold – the most vulnerable left to freeze in their apartments.'

Putin's New Year message spoke of 'changes for the better', urging officials to 'share their warmth with our loved ones'.

Zelensky said Ukrainian negotiators were not in direct contact with Moscow and that the United States was acting as intermediary as Kyiv awaited Russia's formal response to the latest proposal.