Healey: Putin talks peace, but then ‘steps up and escalating his attacks’

The British Defence Secretary John Healey has said Vladimir Putin’s attacks on Ukraine, Friday morning was “brutal” and “cynical.”

Healey told the BBC in Kyiv, “He talks about peace, but he is stepping up and escalating his attacks.

“Not attacks on the Ukrainian military, but on civilians and cities like this.”

He added, “It’s brutal, it’s cynical, it’s exactly why we have got to work so hard to help Ukraine secure a peace.”

Russia attacked the capital with 36 missiles and 242 drones leaving almost 6,000 residential buildings with no power or heating at a time when temperatures have fallen below -10C.

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The Ukrainian Air Force has reported that the surrounding areas of the capital are being used as primary targets which has also seen energy infrastructure being hit leaving at least four killed and 19 injured.

Overnight the city of Lviv close to the Polish border was hit with a nuclear capable Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic (IRBM) missile.

Following the brutal Russian attack on the Ukrainian capital on Friday morning, the Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko is urging residents to leave the city.

Kyiv has around four million residents and has had multiple attacks since the war started on 24 February 2022.

❗️🇬🇧UK Defence Secretary John Healey has arrived in 🇺🇦Kyiv’s Darnytskyi district to personally see the consequences of last night’s Russian drone strike. pic.twitter.com/L25gSaypuJ

— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) January 9, 2026

Klitschko said, “We are doing everything we can to resolve this as quickly as possible. However, the combined attack on Kyiv last night was the most devastating for the capital’s critical infrastructure.”

There has been a grim warning that over the coming days a there could be a “potentially significant air attack that may occur at any time.”

The British Foreign Office issued the warning on Friday and said, “Martial law is in place.

Information has been received concerning a potentially significant air attack that may occur at any time over the next several days.

“Follow the instructions of the Ukrainian authorities and check any measures in place in your location, as they will vary by region.”