KYIV, Ukraine -- Russia launched a second major drone and missile bombardment of Ukraine in four days, officials said Tuesday, aiming again at the power grid and apparently snubbing U.S.-led peace efforts as the war approaches the four-year mark.

Fates of Kupiansk and Huliaipole highlight Kyiv’s reliance on a shrinking pool of experienced, reliable soldiers

This is Chris York reporting from Kyiv on day 1,422 of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today's top story so far: A large group of Russian soldiers crossing snowy ground north of Kharkiv was obliterated by drones,

U.S. President Donald Trump told Reuters that Ukraine - not Russia - is holding up a potential peace deal, rhetoric that stands in marked contrast to that of European allies, who have consistently argued Moscow has little interest in ending its war in Ukraine.

Russia launched a second major drone and missile bombardment of Ukraine in four days, officials said Tuesday, aiming again at the power grid amid freezing temperatures in an apparent snub to U.S.-led peace efforts as Moscow's invasion of its neighbour approaches the four-year mark.

Ukraine’s new Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced on Wednesday that 200,000 Ukrainian soldiers are officially considered as absent without official leave (AWOL), meaning they have left their positions without permission to do so.

Up to 25,000 Russian soldiers are being killed every month, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said this week.

The United States is accusing Russia of a “dangerous and inexplicable escalation” of the nearly four-year war in Ukraine at a time when the Trump administration is trying to advance negotiations toward peace.

Russia says it used its new Oreshnik hypersonic missile and other weapons in a massive strike on Ukraine​. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says a drone hit the Qatar embassy.

Ukraine's parliament appointed young technocrat Mykhailo Fedorov as defence minister on Wednesday as the government seeks to drive innovation to strengthen the military during a ​difficult phase of the nearly four-year war.