7 Foods To Avoid During Pregnancy

By Emma Ndabele

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine abruptly ended his state visit to South Africa on Thursday after Russian missile and drone strikes killed at least nine people and wounded more than 60 overnight in Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said.

The attack, one of the most intense in weeks, struck residential areas and critical infrastructure, leaving shattered buildings and fires in its wake. Among the injured were several children, emergency services reported.

Mr. Zelenskyy, who had arrived in South Africa on Wednesday evening, was scheduled to meet with President Cyril Ramaphosa to discuss potential peace initiatives and bilateral cooperation. Instead, he will return to Ukraine to oversee the military and humanitarian response.

“Terror does not take breaks,” Mr. Zelenskyy said in a statement. “The world must see what Russia is doing and respond with decisive action.”

The strikes came amid renewed political pressure on Ukraine from former U.S. President Donald J. Trump, who has repeatedly criticized Mr. Zelenskyy’s refusal to negotiate territorial concessions, including the status of Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.

“At some point, you have to make a deal,” Mr. Trump said in a recent interview, suggesting that Ukraine’s resistance was prolonging the war.

Mr. Zelenskyy’s trip to South Africa, a member of the BRICS economic bloc that includes Russia, had been seen as a diplomatic effort to counter Moscow’s influence in the Global South. President Ramaphosa has sought to position himself as a mediator, despite South Africa’s historically close ties with the Kremlin.

But Ukrainian officials remain skeptical of Russia’s willingness to negotiate in good faith. Moscow had previously declared a brief Easter ceasefire, only to continue attacks shortly afterward.

“Every time we hear promises of peace from Russia, the bombs follow,” said Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office. “We do not trust their words—only their actions.”

As emergency crews in Kyiv sifted through rubble on Thursday, residents described a night of terror.

“The explosions were so loud, we thought the building would collapse,” said Olha Petrenko, 42, who sheltered in a basement with her two children. “No one is safe.”

The strikes appeared to target energy facilities, part of what analysts say is Russia’s broader strategy to cripple Ukraine’s power grid ahead of winter.

With Mr. Zelenskyy’s early departure, hopes for immediate diplomatic progress in South Africa have dimmed. Yet Ukrainian officials insist the fight for international support continues—even as the war grinds on at home.

“Every day, we pay in blood for our freedom,” Mr. Zelenskyy said. “And every day, we prove that Ukraine cannot be broken.”