Russian strike on Kyiv energy grid causes power and water disruption
An overnight Russian attack on Kyiv and surrounding regions hit energy facilities and a bridge over the Dnipro, disrupting electricity, water and heating in the capital. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy linked it to peace talks planned in Abu Dhabi next week.
Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine's capital Kyiv and surrounding regions overnight into Saturday, hitting energy infrastructure and a bridge over the Dnipro River. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of trying to "plunge Kyiv and the entire country into a blackout". The attack came days before planned negotiations on ending the war.
According to Zelenskyy, Russia used 172 drones and 36 ballistic missiles. Kyiv has faced serious problems with electricity, water and heating. Five people were injured, including a 14-year-old girl. The strikes targeted substations in five regions, among them one linking two nuclear power plants to Kyiv. The city's Northern Bridge, a key transport artery, was closed on Saturday while workers repaired damage to the road surface and power lines.
Residents of Kyiv have endured day-long power cuts and water supply interruptions this week. Ukrainian officials say the Kremlin aims to freeze civilians into submission during the winter, which they describe as a war crime. Russia's defence ministry said its Saturday strikes were aimed at energy and transport targets.
Talks in Abu Dhabi
Negotiators from Russia, Ukraine and the US are due to meet on Tuesday and Wednesday in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates. Zelenskyy urged the US Congress, where Democrats won a majority in the midterm elections, to pay more attention to Ukraine and said Kyiv counts on increased bilateral support.
In a CNN interview he called the blueprint set out by Jared Kushner, son-in-law of Donald Trump, "Yalta 2.0", referring to the 1945 summit of Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill that divided postwar Europe. Kushner said the talks would cover a new security framework for Europe and guarantees for Ukraine, which appears to refer to the Kremlin's long-standing demand to reverse Nato's expansion. On Friday Trump said a "big beautiful agreement" could be close.
Zelenskyy stressed that Moscow must first end its war and Ukraine must receive meaningful security guarantees; only then could a wider security architecture be considered. Western diplomats say accepting Russia's demands would effectively end Nato. Since the summer Russia has sharply stepped up air attacks on Ukrainian cities as its progress on the front line has stalled.
