Vladimir Putin’s forces killed at least 27 people including a pregnant woman in heinous overnight strikes on a Ukrainian prison and maternity hospital, hours after Donald Trump dramatically shortened his ceasefire deadline to just “10 or 12 days” and threatened crushing sanctions.
The vile blitz targeted 73 Ukrainian cities and villages overnight Monday, with Russian aerial bombs striking the Bilenke Correctional Colony in Zaporizhzhia, killing 17 inmates and injuring 42 others. In a separate attack, Russian missiles hit a maternity ward in Kamianske, killing two people including a 23-year-old pregnant woman named Diana, and injuring five others.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attacks as evidence of Putin’s refusal to negotiate peace. Each killing of our people by the Russians, each Russian strike, when a cease-fire could already have been in place if Russia had not refused — all of this shows that Moscow deserves very harsh, truly painful, and therefore just and effective sanctions pressure,” Zelenskyy said.
The strikes came immediately after Trump announced during a press conference with Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland that he was slashing Putin’s deadline from 50 days to less than two weeks. I’m disappointed in President Putin, very disappointed in him,” Trump told reporters. “There’s no reason in waiting, we just don’t see any progress being made.”
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev immediately threatened the United States with war, warning on social media platform X: “Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country.” The chilling response underscored Moscow’s defiance despite mounting international pressure.
The attack on the Bilenke Correctional Colony used four high-explosive aerial bombs (FABs), completely destroying the prison’s dining room and significantly damaging administrative buildings. Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice confirmed the facility’s perimeter remained intact with “no threat of escape,” though ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets denounced it as a “gross violation of international humanitarian law.”
In Kamianske, the 2am missile strike partially destroyed a three-story building and damaged nearby medical facilities. Regional head Serhiy Lysak reported that two women in critical condition, one pregnant, were among the five injured. Mayor Andriy Bilousov said the maternity and therapeutic departments of Hospital No. 9 sustained heavy damage with “roofs damaged, all windows shattered.”
Trump’s frustration with Putin has notably intensified in recent weeks. The US President, who once claimed he could end the war in 24 hours, now openly expresses disappointment with the Russian leader’s intransigence. “Every time I think it’s going to end, he kills people needing help,” Trump said Monday, referencing Putin’s pattern of launching attacks during diplomatic overtures.
The new deadline of August 6-8 represents a significant escalation in US pressure. Trump threatened “secondary sanctions” on countries buying Russian oil if no ceasefire agreement is reached. “It would be sanctions and maybe tariffs, secondary tariffs,” he warned, though adding, “I don’t want to do that to Russia.”
Ukraine welcomed Trump’s tougher stance. Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, thanked the President on social media: “Putin respects only power – and that message is loud and clear.” He added that the overnight attacks demonstrated “how Putin responds to calls to end the war and sit at the negotiating table.”
The timing of Trump’s shortened deadline is strategically significant. Military analysts note that by early September, when the original 50-day mark would have passed, Russian forces could be close to encircling key eastern hubs including Pokrovsk, Kostiantynivka, and Kupiansk, potentially bringing Putin’s goal of taking the entire Donetsk region within reach.
Additional Russian strikes across Dnipropetrovsk region killed at least two more civilians overnight. A 75-year-old woman died in Velykomykhailivska, whilst one person was killed and two injured in the Synelnykove district. The attacks underscore Russia’s continued targeting of civilian infrastructure despite international condemnation.
The Kremlin has yet to officially respond to Trump’s new deadline, though spokesman Dmitry Peskov previously rejected the original 50-day ultimatum as “unacceptable.” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov insisted that “any attempts to make demands, especially ultimatums, are unacceptable to us.”
Meanwhile, Russia faced significant domestic disruption as pro-Ukrainian hackers crippled state airline Aeroflot, forcing the cancellation of over 40 flights and affecting more than 20,000 passengers. The Silent Crow hacking group, working with Belarusian Cyber Partisans, claimed to have destroyed 7,000 servers and compromised critical systems.
The hackers revealed shocking security lapses at Aeroflot, including the use of outdated Windows XP and Server 2003 systems, and that CEO Sergei Alexandrovsky hadn’t changed his password since 2022. The attack represents one of the most disruptive cyber operations against Russia since the invasion began.
Ukrainian drones also struck a military resource base and train in Rostov region, destroying two wagons and causing widespread rail delays for tourists heading to Black Sea resorts. One driver died when his car was hit by a drone in the same region.
Russian lawmaker Anton Gorelkin acknowledged the cyber warfare threat, stating: “We must not forget that the war against our country is being waged on all fronts, including the digital one.” The Kremlin called the Aeroflot hack “quite alarming,” with prosecutors launching a criminal investigation.
As the new deadline approaches, pressure mounts on both sides. Trump must decide whether to follow through on his sanctions threat, potentially impacting key US allies India and China who rely heavily on Russian energy. For Putin, the calculation involves whether continued military gains outweigh the economic devastation of enhanced sanctions.
The humanitarian cost continues to mount daily. Trump noted that “five thousand Russian and Ukrainian kids a week are dying,” emphasising the urgency of reaching a ceasefire. Yet Putin’s overnight attacks on civilian targets suggest he remains committed to military victory rather than negotiated peace.
With less than two weeks until Trump’s deadline expires, the world watches whether economic pressure can succeed where diplomacy has failed in ending Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II.
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