Russia unleashed another missile and drone blitz of civilian areas in Ukraine, killing at least nine people.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is grappling with the implications of recent Washington moves benefiting Russian President Vladimir Putin, including waiving U.S. sanctions on Moscow and signing a deal to import Russian diesel.

The latest aerial strikes on civilian targets came as fears mount that a sharp deterioration in relations between Ukraine and the United States this week could leave Ukraine further exposed to Russia's escalating aerial assaults as the bitter winter approaches.

Ukrainian drones lost some of their fighting capacity after restrictions were suddenly imposed on the battlefield use of the country's U.S.-made Starlink communication terminals, officials said Wednesday as the capital endured another night of missile attacks.