Putin and Trump had barely finished their phone call when Russia launched a wave of attacks on Kyiv the likes of which had never been seen before. The people of the city are worn down the day after—and a certain fear is creeping over them.

It was a night that many people in Kyiv will forever remember. For the Ukrainian capital, it began with sirens, explosions, and fear, and ended with rubble, injuries, and fear for the future. It leaves behind a city engulfed in smoke. You can smell it everywhere.

Russia has hit Ukraine with the largest combined wave of missile and drone attacks since the beginning of the war. 539 drones, mostly of the Shahed type, and eleven missiles were fired. The main target was the capital, Kyiv.

Refuge in the metro

The shock the following morning is profound. Shattered windows, burning cars, destroyed apartments – there is severe damage in six of the city's ten districts, according to the Kyiv city administration. Educational and medical facilities have also been hit.

People are still hiding in the subway hours after the blasts, fearing another attack. Alya Shakhlai, a 23-year-old wedding photographer, is in shock. Her apartment was completely destroyed overnight."We were all in the basement. Ten minutes later, there was a loud explosion. The lights went out in the basement, and people panicked." She now has no home.

The 23-year-old is tired and increasingly observes this in her surroundings:"It seems to me that people don't care about anything. They just want peace, they just want to lie in their bed and wake up the next morning without having to worry about what will come shooting through the window next and that they won't have a house tomorrow."

Putin makes a phone call - and launches rockets

The timing is remarkable: The wave of attacks began after a nearly hour-long phone call between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. According to Kremlin advisor Yuri Ushakov, Putin made it clear during the conversation that Russia would stick to its war aims in Ukraine – without compromise.

The fact that this attack took place after the talks can be interpreted as a deliberate signal: Moscow apparently believes it can afford to escalate further militarily without fearing consequences.

Devastating arms ban

At the same time, Ukraine is gradually losing its most important supporter. The US under Trump recently halted deliveries of several key weapons systems, including 30 Patriot missiles, AIM-7 air-to-air missiles, Stinger defense systems, and GMLRS missiles.

Just last June, the most violent attacks since the war began occurred – and now Washington is halting deliveries. Officially, this is out of concern for its own supplies. But the signaling effect is devastating.

Ukraine is running out of ammunition

Ukraine is facing a highly armed enemy, and it is literally running out of ammunition. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls it a"deliberately massive and cynical" attack. It was a"brutal, sleepless night." At least 23 people were injured, including a ten-year-old girl. 14 were hospitalized. The air defense system intercepted 478 aircraft, but nine missiles and 63 drones hit the ground.

In total, debris from downed drones fell in at least 33 locations across the city. 45-year-old doctor Ruslan Sakrutnyj lost his car in the attacks and had barricaded himself during the attacks:"At first there were explosions, but they weren't very strong, and then there was a very strong explosion, and I felt all the glass shatter. I quickly went downstairs and saw that everything was on fire. People tried to extinguish the fire, but it was in vain."

Will it continue like this forever?

The capital is traumatized. And not only there – attacks have also been reported in the Dnipro, Sumy, Chernihiv, and Kharkiv regions.

President Zelenskyy warns once again: Russia will not withdraw without massive international pressure. But the withdrawal is currently coming from Washington.

And that is what paralyzes many Ukrainians the next morning, just like the explosions of the night: the fear that things will continue like this - and no one will help anymore.