Ukraine's children return to school as Russia launches drones and ballistic missiles at Kyiv

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched an overnight barrage of drones and cruise and ballistic missiles at Kyiv, officials said Monday, as children were returning to school across Ukraine. Some pupils found classes canceled because of damage from the attack.

Several series of explosions rocked the Ukrainian capital. Debris from intercepted missiles and drones fell in every district of Kyiv, wounding three people and damaging two kindergartens, the Interior Ministry said. City authorities reported multiple fires.

After more than 900 days of war, Russia and Ukraine show no sign of letting up in the fight or moving closer to the negotiating table. Both sides are pursuing ambitious ground offensives, with the Ukrainians driving into Russia’s Kursk region and the Russians pushing deeper into the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine that is part of the industrial Donbas region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that Ukraine’s Kursk assault won't prevent Russian forces from advancing in eastern Ukraine.

“The main task that the enemy set for themselves — to stop our offensive in Donbas — they haven’t achieved it,” Putin told students during a trip to Siberia. He predicted that the Kursk offensive will fail and that Kyiv officials will want “to move to peace talks.”

Speaking in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country’s operation in Kursk had drawn Russian troops away from southern Ukraine, but acknowledged that it had not yet succeeded in diverting Russian forces from the eastern frontlines, where the city of Pokrovsk is at risk of falling.

“We see that it is difficult there, and the most combat-ready Russian brigades have been concentrated in this area because it has always been their main target — Donbas. The complete, total occupation of Donbas: Donetsk and Luhansk regions,” Zelenskyy said.

He said last month that the aim of the Kursk incursion is to create a buffer zone that might prevent further attacks by Moscow across the border.

Russia launched 35 missiles and 26 Shahed drones at Ukraine overnight from Sunday to Monday, the Ukrainian air force said. Nine ballistic missiles, 13 cruise missiles and 20 drones were downed, it said.

Kyiv residents hurried into bomb shelters.

Oksana Argunova, an 18-year-old student, said she was still shaking after the scare.

“I woke up, my neighbor was shouting: ‘Let’s go down (to the shelter), there are big explosions.’ We all ran,” Argunova told The Associated Press.

Monday was the first day back at school after the summer vacation. In Ukraine, the day involves ceremonies and rituals, with students and often teachers wearing traditional costumes.

But the massive air assaults have taken a toll. In one last week, an F-16 warplane that Ukraine received from Western partners crashed. The pilot, one of the few Ukrainians trained to fly the jets, was killed.

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, visiting Ukraine for the first time since taking office, traveled with Zelenskyy to Zaporizhzhia, 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the front line.

They visited an underground school, and Schoof announced his government would give Ukraine 200 million euros ($221 million) to help protect and repair the electricity infrastructure targeted almost daily by Russian bombs.

“It must never be normal for children to have to go to school underground. It must never become normal for people’s homes to be cold because power plants have been bombed,” Schoof said.

He said the Netherlands would continue providing F-16 fighter jets and munitions to Ukraine and noted a plan floated last month by Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsay Graham to let retired F-16 pilots from other countries join the fight in Ukraine.

“That would be an interesting idea, because then you can just speed up the process of deploying the F-16s. But we have to look into those things, with all the countries involved with the F-16 coalition,” Schoof said.

In Kyiv, children and parents gathered outside a damaged school as firefighters put out flames and removed rubble.

One mother arrived with her 7-year-old daughter, Sophia, unaware it had been hit. It was Sophia’s first day at a new school, her mother said, after a frightening night.

“We hid in the bathroom, where it was relatively safe,” said the mother, who gave only her first name, Olena.

Ukraine and Russia are battering each other with regular long-range drone and missile strikes, sometimes launching more than 100 weapons in aerial attacks that suggest they are still pouring resources into weapon production.

Russian air defenses intercepted 158 Ukrainian drones overnight, including two over Moscow and nine over the surrounding region, the Defense Ministry said.

The Ukrainian headquarters of the Danish humanitarian organization DanChurchAid was destroyed by missile fragments, its head Jonas Nøddekær said.

Elsewhere, 18 people were injured in a Sunday evening strike on a center for social and psychological rehabilitation of children and an orphanage in Ukraine’s northeastern city of Sumy, regional authorities said. The regional prosecutor’s office said there were no children in the facility, and the injured included people in nearby homes.

Associated Press writers Lori Hinnant in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine; Emma Burrows in London; and Jan. M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a joint press conference with Netherlands' Prime Minister Dick Schoof in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Monday Sept. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Cadets attend the first day at school in a cadet lyceum in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. Children and students went to school despite the fact that Kyiv was hit by massive Russian missile barrage early in the morning, causing fires, damaged buildings and infrastructure objects. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Schoolchildren and their parents enter an underground school on the first day at school in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. The purpose-built "bunker school" aims to provide a learning environment safe from Russian everyday airstrikes. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)

Schoolgirls sing the national anthem on the first day at school in a cadet lyceum in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. Children and students went to school despite the fact that Kyiv was hit by massive Russian missile barrage early in the morning, causing fires, damaged buildings and infrastructure objects. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

A young cadet takes a nap at the first lesson in a cadet lyceum on the first day at school in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. Children and students went to school despite the fact that Kyiv was hit by massive Russian missile barrage early in the morning, causing fires, damaged buildings and infrastructure objects. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

First graders yawn as they attend a ceremony marking the start of classes at a school as part of the traditional opening of the school year known as "Day of Knowledge" in Makiivka, Russian-controlled Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov)

Young cadets attend the first lesson in a cadet lyceum on the first day at school in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. Children and students went to school despite the fact that Kyiv was hit by massive Russian missile barrage early in the morning, causing fires, damaged buildings and infrastructure objects. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Young cadets get ready for a ceremony in a cadet lyceum on the first day at school in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. Children and students went to school despite the fact that Kyiv was hit by massive Russian missile barrage early in the morning, causing fires, damaged buildings and infrastructure objects. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Schoolgirls attend the first lesson in a cadet lyceum on the first day at school in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. Children and students went to school despite the fact that Kyiv was hit by massive Russian missile barrage early in the morning, causing fires, damaged buildings and infrastructure objects. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

First graders sit in a classroom after a ceremony marking the start of classes at a school as part of the traditional opening of the school year known as "Day of Knowledge" in Makiivka, Russian-controlled Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov)

This photo released by Belgorod regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov's Telegram channel on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, shows the destroyed kindergarten after a missile attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the city of Belgorod, Russia. (Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov Telegram channel via AP)

This photo released by Belgorod regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov's Telegram channel on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, Firefighters extinguish burning cars in the courtyard of an apartment building after a missile attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the city of Belgorod, Russia. (Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov Telegram channel via AP)

A rescue worker extinguishes a fire burning residential buildings destroyed during a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Sept. 1 2024. (AP Photo/Yevhen Titov)

Gas burns in front of a business center damaged by a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Sept. 1 2024. (AP Photo/Yevhen Titov)

Firefighters extinguish a fire after a rocket hit a building of a higher education institution in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024..(AP Photo/Vasilisa Stepanenko)

First-graders attend the traditional ceremony for the first day of school in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Sunday Sept. 1, 2024. Zaporizhzhia schoolchildren celebrated the traditional first day of school near the frontline. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A woman collects her possessions in the yard of a house destroyed after a Russian strike on the residential neighbourhood in Cherkaska Lozova, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Saturday Aug. 31. 2024. (AP Photo/Yevhen Titov)

Paramedics help an injured man to walk out of the rubble at a sports facility destroyed after a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Sept. 1 2024. (AP Photo/Yevhen Titov)

People help an injured man walk out of rubble at a sports facility destroyed after a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Sept. 1 2024. (AP Photo/Yevhen Titov)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hours to go before a midnight government shutdown, the House approved a new plan late Friday from Speaker Mike Johnson that would temporarily fund federal operations and disaster aid, but drops President-elect Donald Trump's demands for a debt limit increase into the new year.

Johnson insisted Congress would “meet our obligations” and not allow federal operations to shutter ahead of the Christmas holiday season. But the day's outcome was uncertain after Trump doubled down on his insistence that a debt ceiling increase be included in any deal — if not, he said in an early morning post, let the closures “start now.”

The bill was approved 366-34, and now goes to the Senate, for expected quick passage.

“We're excited about this outcome,” Johnson said afterward, adding he had spoken with Trump and the president-elect “was certainly happy about this outcome, as well.”

It was the third attempt from Johnson, the beleaguered House speaker, to achieve one of the basic requirements of the federal government — keeping it open. And it raised stark questions about whether Johnson will be able to keep his job, in the face of angry GOP colleagues, and work alongside Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk, who have called the legislative plays this time.

Trump's last-minute demand was almost an impossible ask, and Johnson had almost no choice but to work around his pressure for a debt ceiling increase. The speaker knew there wouldn’t be enough support within the GOP majority to pass any funding package, since many Republicans prefer to slash federal government and certainly wouldn’t allow more debt.

Instead, the Republicans, who will have full control of the White House, House and Senate next year, with big plans for tax cuts and other priorities, are showing they must routinely rely on Democrats for the votes needed to keep up with the routine operations of governing.

“So is this a Republican bill or a Democrat bill?” scoffed Musk on social media ahead of the vote.

The new 118-page package would fund the government at current levels through March and adds $100 billion in disaster aid and $10 billion in agricultural assistance to farmers.

Gone is Trump’s demand to lift the debt ceiling, which GOP leaders told lawmakers would be debated as part of their tax and border packages in the new year. Republicans made a so-called handshake agreement to raise the debt limit at that time while also cutting $2.5 trillion in spending over 10 years.

It's essentially the same deal that flopped the night before in a spectacular setback — opposed by most Democrats and some of the most conservative Republicans — minus Trump's debt ceiling demand.

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries was in contact with Johnson, but Democrats were cool to the latest effort after the Republican speaker reneged on their original bipartisan compromise.

“Welcome back to the MAGA swamp,” Jeffries posted.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, said it looked like Musk, an unelected official and the wealthiest man in the world, was calling the shots for Trump and the Republicans.

“Who is in charge?” she asked during the debate.

Still, the White House supported the final bill, and Democrats put up more votes than Republicans for its passage. Almost three dozen Republicans voted against it.

Trump, who has not yet been sworn into office, is showing the power but also the limits of his sway with Congress, as he intervenes and orchestrates affairs from Mar-a-Lago alongside Musk, who is heading up the incoming administration's new Department of Government Efficiency.

“If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now,” Trump posted early in the morning on social media.

Trump does not fear government shutdowns the way Johnson and the lawmakers see federal closures as political losers that harm the livelihoods of Americans. The incoming Trump administration vows to slash the federal budget and fire thousands of employees. Trump himself sparked the longest government shutdown in history in his first term at the White House, the monthlong closures over the 2018-19 Christmas holiday and New Year period.

More importantly for the president-elect was his demand for pushing the thorny debt ceiling debate off the table before he returns to the White House. The federal debt limit expires Jan. 1, and Trump doesn't want the first months of his new administration saddled with tough negotiations in Congress to lift the nation's borrowing capacity. It gives Democrats, who will be in the minority next year, leverage.

“Congress must get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling,” Trump posted — increasing his demand for a now five-year debt limit increase. "Without this, we should never make a deal."

Johnson had tried at first to appease Trump's demands, but ultimately had to work around them.

Trump and Musk unleashed their opposition — and social media army — on the original plan Johnson presented, which was a 1,500-page bipartisan compromise he struck with Democrats that included the disaster aid for hard hit states, but did not address the debt ceiling situation.

A Trump-backed second plan, Thursday's slimmed-down 116-page bill with his preferred two-year debt limit increase into 2027, failed in a monumental defeat, rejected by most Democrats as an unserious effort — but also by conservative Republicans who refuse to pile on the nation's red ink.

On Friday morning, Vice President-elect JD Vance and Trump's pick to be incoming Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russ Vought, arrived at the Capitol, where a group of holdouts from the hardline House Freedom Caucus were meeting with Johnson.

Later, during the lunchtime meeting of House Republicans in the Capitol basement, Johnson asked for a show of hands as they determined the path forward, Republican Rep. Ralph Norman said.

Government workers have already been told to prepare for a federal shutdown which would send millions of employees — and members of the military — into the holiday season without paychecks.

President Joe Biden, in his final weeks in office, has played a less public role in the debate, drawing criticism from Trump and Republicans who are trying to shift the blame for any shutdown on him.

Biden has been in discussions with Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, but White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “Republicans blew up this deal. They did, and they need to fix this.”

At one point Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell stepped in to remind colleagues “how harmful it is to shut the government down, and how foolish it is to bet your own side won’t take the blame for it.”

The speaker's election is the first vote of the new Congress, which convenes Jan. 3, and Johnson will need the support of almost every single House Republican from his razor-thin majority to ensure he can keep the gavel.

As some have floated Musk for speaker, Johnson said he spoke to him, as well. He said they talked about the “extraordinary challenges of this job.”

As the speaker twisted in Washington, his peril was on display. At Turning Point USA’s conservative AmericaFest confab, Trump ally Steve Bannon stirred thousands of activists late Thursday with a withering takedown of the Louisiana Republican.

“Clearly, Johnson is not up to the task. He’s gotta go,” Bannon said, drawing cheers.

Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Stephen Groves, Mary Clare Jalonick, Darlene Superville and Bill Barrow contributed to this report.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks to reporters after passing the funding bill to avert the government shutdown at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks to reporters after passing the funding bill to avert the government shutdown at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

The Capitol is pictured in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., emerges from a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., emerges from a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., talks with reporters after attending a meeting with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., as the House works on a spending bill to avert a shutdown of the Federal Government, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

FILE - President-elect Donald Trump poses for a photo with Dana White, Kid Rock and Elon Musk at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks briefly to reporters just before a vote on an interim spending bill to prevent a government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. The vote failed to pass. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)