Russia hits Kyiv with 172 drones and 36 ballistic missiles days before Abu Dhabi talks

Russia launched 172 drones and 36 ballistic missiles at Kyiv and surrounding regions overnight into Saturday, 7 November, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, accusing Moscow of trying to “plunge Kyiv and the entire country into a blackout”, The Guardian reported.

Damage

• Substations in five regions were targeted, including one connecting two nuclear power plants to Kyiv.
• The capital faced serious problems with electricity, water and heating, Zelenskyy said. Mayor Vitali Klitschko called the city’s energy supply “extremely difficult”.
• Kyiv’s Northern Bridge over the Dnipro was closed for repairs to its road surface and power lines.
• Zelenskyy said five people were injured in the capital, including a 14-year-old girl; AP counted at least nine wounded in missile attacks across Ukraine. A building housing a kindergarten was damaged, the city military administration said.

Russia’s position

Russia’s defence ministry said its strikes targeted energy and transport facilities.

Talks next week

Negotiators from Russia, Ukraine and the US are due to meet in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday and Wednesday — the first trilateral round since February. Zelenskyy appealed to the newly Democratic-controlled US Congress for more support: “Ukraine must not be left alone.” In a CNN interview he called a new blueprint set out by Jared Kushner “Yalta 2.0” and said broader European security arrangements could be discussed only after Russia ends its war and Ukraine receives guarantees. President Donald Trump said on Friday a “big beautiful agreement” could be close.