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Russian drone and ballistic missile attacks overnight damaged energy infrastructure across Ukraine, causing power cuts and disrupting water supplies, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, according to the BBC.
Zelensky said 12 regions came under attack, with Kyiv hit hardest. The strikes involved more than 30 ballistic missiles and over 170 drones, and nine people, including one child, were reported injured across the country.
The attacks came ahead of trilateral talks involving Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Abu Dhabi next week. Zelensky wrote on Telegram that Moscow was preparing for the talks by targeting Ukraine’s “critical infrastructure”.
Temperatures are falling in Ukraine, and some areas have had their first winter snow. Zelensky said Kyiv was facing disruptions to electricity, water and heating. Residential buildings, the North Bridge and a kindergarten were damaged, he added.
In the Kyiv region, strikes hit substations connecting the Rivne and Khmelnytsky nuclear power plants to Kyiv and central Ukraine, Zelensky said. He also reported damage to substations in the Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Rivne, Kharkiv and Dnipro regions.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the city’s water system was operating normally again. Around 60% of apartment buildings in the city were connected to the heating system, he said.
Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said power cuts had affected five regions but did not give a figure for the number of homes affected.
The latest strikes followed a meeting at the White House on Thursday, where US First Lady Melania Trump hosted Russian and Ukrainian delegations. After a truce the previous week in the southern Kherson region, she called for a “more enduring” ceasefire.
Hundreds of residents of Oleshky, a Russian-occupied Ukrainian town facing starvation and constant bombardment, were able to evacuate during a six-day ceasefire. Moscow and Kyiv both credited US President Donald Trump with brokering the truce.
“The lives of innocent people must transcend the division of war. I hope Oleshky inspires greater peace,” Melania Trump said.
Earlier this week, glide bombs hit an aid centre near Zaporizhzhia. The death toll rose to 55 as teams searched deeper into the ruins.
Following the latest attacks, Zelensky said Ukraine was counting on increased bilateral support from the United States. He said the country was relying on unity between the two parties on security, support for Ukraine, condemnation of Russian aggression and increased sanctions pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The resolve and consistency of the United States in supporting Ukraine are of great importance in bringing peace closer,” Zelensky wrote.
A spokesperson for Zelensky declined to comment on reports that the Ukrainian president was to be invited to the UK for a state visit next year.
