KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Drone and missile attacks were reported across Ukraine on Saturday, resulting in injuries to at least nine people. The assaults occurred as Kyiv and Moscow prepared for new negotiations with the United States, aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict.
Negotiators from Russia, Ukraine, and the U.S. are set to meet on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, for discussions that seek to end the war. This upcoming round marks the fourth set of negotiations brokered by the Trump administration, following the last event held in Geneva in February.
Western nations supporting the peace initiative are striving for a new strategy to overcome the current deadlock while recognizing that key issues regarding territorial claims and security remain unresolved.
Overnight missile strikes caused damage to residential and commercial properties in Kyiv, leading to further power and water outages, according to national and city officials. Kateryna Korniichuk, a 64-year-old resident, was at home with her granddaughter during the attack and described the panic caused by the blasts that threw them against the walls of their corridor. She expressed concern for the impact of such violence on children.
In response to the attacks, officials closed the Northern Bridge, an important connection between Kyiv and residential areas across the Dnipro River. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko indicated that repair works for the bridge were already underway, and the city had stabilized water pressure. Nevertheless, he described the overall energy situation as "extremely difficult," affecting heating and water supplies.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the Russian missile strikes, asserting that they represented a form of aggression in the lead-up to trilateral talks. He reported that 36 ballistic missiles were launched at Kyiv and neighboring regions, with only four intercepted due to a shortage of Patriot missile interceptors. Zelenskyy also alleged that North Korean-made ballistic missiles were utilized to strike energy facilities, citing initial investigations.
During the drone campaigns involving 172 drones across Kyiv and twelve other regions, nine people were wounded, including a child. Zelenskyy emphasized the need for enhanced U.S. support and bipartisan cooperation in Congress to strengthen sanctions on Russia, asserting that Ukraine could not face the assault from Russia alone.
According to Ukraine's Energy Ministry, the missile attacks damaged networks facilitating electrical supply from nuclear power plants to Kyiv and other central regions, leaving widespread outages, particularly in Kyiv, Zhytomyr, and several eastern regions including Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Dnipropetrovsk. These incidents were described as distinct from scheduled rolling blackouts designed to protect the grid.
The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that its targeting included the Northern Bridge, claiming it was used for transporting weapons and military equipment to Ukrainian forces. They also announced strikes on an industrial facility in Kyiv producing Flamingo missiles, a power station, an electrical substation, and a plant manufacturing ammunition and explosives.
In southern Ukraine, the death toll rose to 55 following an attack on the village of Komyshuvakha, where multiple Russian guided bombs hit a former school and a nearby shelter as residents awaited humanitarian aid. Rescue efforts continued into the sixth day, with reports of many individuals still unaccounted for. A local resident lamented the loss of his wife, who went missing during the bombing.
In a separate incident, a Ukrainian drone attack in Russia's Belgorod region resulted in one death when a drone struck a private home in Grayvoron. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported having shot down 411 drones across ten regions, which included Belgorod, during the night. Attacks were also reported over Crimea, the Black Sea, and the Azov Sea, with damage to civilian infrastructure and residential buildings noted in the affected regions.
Reports surfaced of damage to the Saratov Oil Refinery and other facilities in the Oryol region due to Ukrainian drone strikes, further escalating tensions as both nations faced each other in their ongoing conflict.
