A “silent night” is off the table in Kyiv. After warning that Putin might unleash “massive strikes on Christmas,” Zelensky convened an emergency air‑defence meeting as US‑backed ceasefire proposals were brushed aside in Moscow. Within hours, Russia launched more than 650 drones and dozens of missiles, knocking out power in 13 regions and bragging that “all designated targets were hit.” As Ukrainians brace for more attacks on December 23–25, Trump’s envoys push a last‑minute peace deal that the Kremlin still refuses to sign. Are Christmas “fireworks” Putin’s answer to diplomacy?