Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Saturday that Russia had "readied missiles" for a "massive" new attack on Ukraine within the next 48 hours, urging citizens to heed air raid alerts as the fifth year of the conflict grinds on with no clear diplomatic breakthrough in sight.
The warning followed Russian missile strikes on the Kyiv region Friday that killed at least 10 people and injured around 100 more. The strikes hit an arms exhibition where representatives of the Ukrainian defence industry were present, according to Ukrainian authorities. A further five people were killed in guided aerial bomb strikes on Slovyansk the same day.
Consulate Hit, EU Condemns Moscow
Latvia's foreign minister confirmed that the Latvian consulate in Slovyansk was damaged in Friday's attacks. Kaja Kallas, the European Union's top diplomat, said the strike "underscores Moscow's utter disregard for international law." She added: "Latvia has our full support."
The attack on diplomatic premises marks yet another escalation in a war that has repeatedly violated international norms — from targeting civilian infrastructure to ignoring the protections afforded to diplomatic missions under the Vienna Convention.
On Saturday, Zelenskyy confirmed Ukrainian forces had carried out retaliatory strikes on a weapons facility in Kirov Friday night. Ukraine also targeted an oil refinery in Tyumen, a logistics facility in Yekaterinburg, and a fuel and lubricants depot in Rostov-on-Don. "We also achieved very strong results with long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea — including vessels used in military cargo shipments involving Iran, as well as a warship," Zelenskyy said, sharing video footage of the aftermath.
Civilian Toll Continues
In Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, one person died and nine were injured in a Russian attack Saturday, local authorities reported. The pattern of strikes on civilian areas has become grimly routine, even as diplomatic efforts to end the war inch forward.
Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington next week as discussions continue over peace proposals. On Wednesday, Zelenskyy said he'd spoken with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, about efforts to end the conflict. "A good and important conversation about how to energize diplomacy and bring peace closer," he wrote.
Washington-Moscow Talks Yield Little
Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers' summit in the Philippines. According to the Kremlin, Lavrov warned Washington against continuing arms sales to Kyiv. "Lavrov briefed his American counterpart on the actual situation along the front line and emphasised that it would be unacceptable to further arm the Kyiv regime," a Russian foreign ministry statement read.
Rubio described the conversation as "good" and "frank" but declined to provide details. Asked about the Kremlin's statement, he said: "We sell arms via PURL, which is an initiative we have through NATO and that's what we're involved in. There's been no change to our policy in that regard." He added: "We want a peace deal. We want the war to end."
But wanting a peace deal and achieving one are different things. As long as Russia continues strikes on civilian targets and diplomatic facilities — and as long as Ukraine's survival depends on Western arms — the gap between rhetoric and reality remains vast.
Why This Matters:
The warning of an imminent Russian attack underscores the brutal reality facing Ukrainians as the war enters its fifth year: diplomatic momentum has not translated into safety on the ground. While high-level talks between Washington and Moscow signal renewed engagement, Russia's continued targeting of civilian infrastructure and diplomatic premises reveals the limits of dialogue without accountability. Europe's support for Ukraine isn't just strategic — it's moral. The attack on Latvia's consulate is an attack on the EU itself, a reminder that this war tests not only Ukraine's sovereignty but the credibility of international law and the institutions meant to uphold it. Peace cannot come at the price of rewarding aggression.