Ukraine says Russia fired 172 drones and 36 ballistic missiles overnight, damaging substations in five regions and a Dnipro bridge days before trilateral talks.
Russia launched a large overnight attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, with Kyiv hit hardest, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as reported by The Guardian, the BBC and Euronews. The Guardian cited 172 drones and 36 ballistic missiles; the BBC described more than 30 ballistic missiles and over 170 drones. Substations were damaged in several regions, including one that connects the Rivne and Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plants to Kyiv. Residential buildings, a kindergarten and the Northern Bridge across the Dnipro were also damaged. Casualty figures differ between reports, from five injured in Kyiv and its region to nine across the country.
The capital faced disruptions to electricity, water and heating. Mayor Vitali Klitschko later said, as quoted by the BBC, that the water system was operating normally again and about 60% of apartment buildings were connected to heating, while the energy minister reported power cuts in five regions. Zelenskyy said preliminary findings showed North Korean-made KN-23 missiles were used against one key energy facility, and that four of the 36 missiles were shot down. Russia's defence ministry said its strikes targeted energy and transport sites. Ukrainian officials say Moscow is trying to leave civilians without power and heat as winter arrives, an aim they describe as a war crime; Russia has not accepted that characterisation in the reports reviewed.
The attack came days before Russian, Ukrainian and US delegations are due to meet in Abu Dhabi. Zelenskyy said Moscow was using the strikes to pressure Ukraine's negotiating position, and he urged the United States and other allies to speed up deliveries of air-defence interceptors. He also voiced scepticism about a proposed wider European security framework, telling CNN Ukraine does not want to be divided by Russia. These accounts come from Ukrainian officials and media reports, and independent verification of damage and weapon types is still ongoing.
