Ukraine marked its Independence Day on Sunday with a wave of drone attacks on Russian territory, including a strike that ignited a fire at a nuclear power plant, underscoring the deepening hostilities and fading hopes for peace after months of diplomatic overtures.
The strikes coincided with the 33rd anniversary of Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union. While the day carried symbolic weight for Ukrainians, it unfolded against a backdrop of intensified fighting and a stalled push for peace talks.
Efforts led by US President Donald Trump to arrange a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky faltered last week after Moscow dismissed the possibility of any immediate summit.
The war, now in its fourth year, has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions. Russia continues to hold about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.
Recent months have seen Moscow advance slowly in the Donetsk region, capturing two villages on Saturday, while Ukraine has increasingly relied on drone warfare to strike inside Russia.
On Sunday, Ukrainian drones targeted several regions across the border. One was shot down over the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant in western Russia, where the resulting explosion sparked a fire.
Authorities at the plant said the blaze was quickly extinguished, with no casualties or radiation leaks reported. The International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned of the risks posed by fighting near nuclear facilities.
Further north, Russian officials reported drones intercepted near Saint Petersburg and over the port of Ust-Luga on the Gulf of Finland.
The attack caused a fire at a Novatek-owned fuel terminal, highlighting Ukraine’s focus on disrupting Russian energy infrastructure — a critical source of funding for Moscow’s war effort. Russia has seen fuel prices soar in recent weeks as these strikes intensify.
The escalation was not one-sided. Ukraine’s air force said it downed 48 out of 72 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Russia overnight, along with a ballistic missile.
A Russian drone strike killed a 47-year-old woman in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, officials reported.
For many Ukrainians, the day served as both a commemoration of independence and a reminder of resilience. President Zelensky used his address to stress that Ukraine’s survival proved it was “a fighter, not a victim.” Messages of support flowed in from global leaders, including China’s Xi Jinping, King Charles III, Pope Francis, and Trump.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited Kyiv, reiterating calls for a “just and lasting peace.”
Despite these expressions of solidarity, the outlook for diplomacy remains bleak. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that no talks between Putin and Zelensky were planned, casting further doubt on Trump’s mediation efforts.
Putin has consistently rejected demands for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, while Kyiv accuses Moscow of dragging out the conflict to solidify its territorial gains.
With neither side willing to relent, Ukraine’s Independence Day was marked not by celebration alone, but by the reality of a war grinding on with no clear end in sight.
AFP
