Russia claimed Thursday to have captured a key Ukrainian town after more than 16 months of intense fighting and unleashed a deadly seven-hour drone assault on Kyiv that offered no hint of its agreeing to President Donald Trump's demands to end its war.
A Ukrainian military spokesman denied Moscow's claims that it had captured Chasiv Yar, saying Russian troops had only raised their flag over an already occupied part of the strategically important town.
Showing no appetite for the ceasefire Trump has increasingly demanded, Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov hailed the "courage of the paratroopers" of the 98th Guards Airborne Division, which Moscow says carried out the seizure.
On Tuesday, Trump — whose historical warmth toward Russian President Vladimir Putin has chilled significantly in recent weeks — said he would start imposing tariffs and other measures on Moscow if it did not agree to a peace plan in 10 days.
While Russia was declaring victory in Chasiv Yar, it was launching hundreds of drones and missiles at Ukrainian civilians in Kyiv. It fired at least 308 drones and eight cruise missiles, according to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Most were shot down, but more than two dozen struck their targets, it said.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at least six people were killed, including a 6-year-old boy. The Ukrainian military announced later Thursday that the death toll from Russia’s attacks in Kyiv had risen to 16.
“Today, the world again saw Russia’s response to our desire for peace with America and Europe: new demonstrative killings,” he said in his nightly address.
Artemov Oleksandr, 40, a director at a bank in Kyiv, described the "terrible reality" visited upon Ukrainians.
"All night long, while this is happening, we were constantly texting," he said. "Because in addition to some fears for ourselves, there are also many fears for our parents, for our relatives, maybe even more for them."
He added, "Unfortunately, this is such a terrible reality that no one wants to sleep with."
Ukraine denies key town has fallen
With a prewar population of just 12,000, Chasiv Yar today lies in ruins after more than a year of attritional warfare between the Russian invaders and Ukraine.
Its significance owes to its key position en route to key "fortress" cities in the Donetsk region, including Kostiantynivka, Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
Victor Trygubov, spokesman for Ukraine's troops in the Khortytsia region, denied that Russia had made the key gain.
"As usual, they once again raised a flag at the occupied part of the town, which they took about a half-year ago," he said, while spreading "false information that they control all of the town."
DeepState, a Ukrainian online monitoring platform that tracks the conflict using publicly available information, showed Thursday that while most of the town was under Russian occupation, part of it was grayed out, indicating it was under "unknown" control.
It was not immediately possible to independently verify either side's statements.
Dva Mayora, a Russian pro-war channel with 1.2 million subscribers on the messaging service Telegram, said the capture "goes against Trump's political dancing."
Chasiv Yar does include a hilltop from which troops can attack other key points in the region that form the backbone of Ukraine’s eastern defenses, according to The Associated Press.
But Sergey Markov, a former adviser to Putin who is now a pro-Kremlin commentator, said the town had "no strategic significance" and instead illustrated "how this war can go on for many more years."
Trump's ultimatums have also caused an online spat with former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. After Trump called Medvedev a "failed president" who should "watch his words," Medvedev red hit back.
"If a few words from a former Russian president can provoke such a nervous reaction from the sitting and supposedly formidable president of the United States, then clearly Russia is entirely in the right and will continue on its chosen path," said Medvedev, now a frequently outspoken Kremlin outrider online.
He also referred to Russia's Soviet-era capability of launching a nuclear strike even if its armed forces and leadership are wiped out. Trump, he said, should "recall just how dangerous the mythical 'Dead Hand' can be" — a reference to the Western name for the technology.
