Russian strikes wound nine people, including a child, and damaged Ukraine’s power network in an overnight assault that President Volodymyr Zelensky said affected 12 regions, with Kyiv suffering the heaviest impact. The attack, involving more than 30 ballistic missiles and over 170 drones, disrupted electricity, water and heating supplies as temperatures fall and parts of the country see their first winter snow.
Capital bears the brunt
Zelensky reported on Telegram that the situation in Kyiv was difficult, with residential buildings, the North Bridge and a kindergarten damaged. In the Kyiv region, substations linking the Rivne and Khmelnytsky nuclear power plants to the capital and central Ukraine were struck.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko later said the city’s water system had returned to normal operation and that about 60% of apartment buildings were reconnected to heating. Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said power cuts affected five regions but did not specify how many households lost electricity.
Beyond the capital, substations were damaged in the Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Rivne, Kharkiv and Dnipro regions, according to Zelensky.
Attacks precede Abu Dhabi talks
The barrage came ahead of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi next week involving Ukrainian and Russian delegations. Zelensky said Moscow was preparing for those negotiations by targeting Ukraine’s critical infrastructure.
He also said Ukraine was counting on stronger bilateral support from the United States, stressing the importance of unity between both parties on security, backing for Ukraine, condemnation of Russian aggression and increased sanctions pressure on Vladimir Putin.
Diplomatic push after Kherson truce
The strikes followed a White House meeting on Thursday at which US First Lady Melania Trump hosted Russian and Ukrainian delegations. She called for a more enduring ceasefire after a truce last week in the southern Kherson region and thanked both Zelensky and Putin, without referring to the war’s origins.
During a six-day ceasefire that Moscow and Kyiv credited Trump with brokering, hundreds of residents of the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky evacuated after facing starvation and constant bombardment. Melania Trump said the lives of innocent people must transcend the division of war and expressed hope that Oleshky would inspire greater peace.
Earlier this week, glide bombs hit an aid centre near Zaporizhzhia, killing dozens as rescue teams searched deeper into the ruins; the death toll rose to 55.
Zelensky’s spokesperson declined to comment on reports that the Ukrainian president would be invited to the UK for a state visit next year.
