Russia strikes Kyiv overnight ahead of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi
Russia carried out overnight strikes on Kyiv and surrounding areas on Saturday, hitting the Northern Bridge and energy facilities; one person was killed and eight wounded. The attack came days before a fourth round of US-brokered talks between Kyiv, Moscow and Washington.
Russia launched strikes on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and its surroundings overnight into Saturday, according to both Russian and Ukrainian authorities. The attack came days before a fourth round of trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Earlier rounds of US-brokered negotiations have produced no breakthroughs.
Moscow's account
Russia's Defense Ministry said it hit the Northern Bridge and the Meridian Plant. Moscow claimed the bridge was used by the Ukrainian military to move weapons and equipment, and that the plant produces Flamingo cruise missiles. The ministry also said several energy and industrial facilities in the Kyiv region were damaged, along with an electricity substation in the neighboring Zhytomyr region and a cargo vessel in the Black Sea.
Ukraine's account
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed the strike on the Northern Bridge and said the city faced an "extremely difficult" situation with power, heating and water supplies. Overnight temperatures in the city fell to 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit). Tymur Tkachenko, governor of the Kyiv region, said energy facilities in three of its districts were hit. Authorities reported one person killed and eight wounded.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media that Russia used 172 drones and 36 ballistic missiles. He said Moscow was trying to "push Kyiv … and the entire country into a blackout" and repeated his call for greater support from the United States.
Diplomatic backdrop
Russia has stepped up airstrikes on Ukraine in recent months, targeting energy infrastructure and major cities, and more recently bridges. Territorial and security questions remain the main points of contention in the talks. On Friday, US President Donald Trump said the war could be close to being settled and that he envisioned a "big, beautiful agreement" with Moscow involving "all of Europe." The previous Friday, a six-day local ceasefire in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in the southern Kherson region allowed some 800 residents to be evacuated. The truce was brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump.
