Russian barrage hits Kyiv ahead of peace talks

Russian forces launched a barrage of missiles and drones at energy infrastructure around Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, in the days leading up to peace talks, officials reported. Explosions shook the city as multiple waves of ballistic missiles targeted the Northern Bridge over the Dnipro River. Strikes on energy facilities, including those connected to nuclear plants and central power systems, caused significant damage, according to the energy ministry.

At least two people were killed and around a dozen wounded across Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russia had launched 36 ballistic missiles, with only four intercepted by Ukraine's air defenses, while 149 out of 172 drones were downed. The attacks coincided with trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, a US-backed peace effort with limited success so far.

Zelensky accused Russia of preparing for the talks by targeting critical infrastructure. The strikes follow recent US midterm elections, which have raised hopes in Ukraine for greater support from a Democratic-controlled Congress. Moscow's defense ministry claimed the strikes targeted military-industrial sites, energy and transport infrastructure in and around Kyiv.

Russia has intensified air attacks on Ukraine as its ground campaign has struggled, repeatedly striking energy infrastructure in major cities with missiles and drones over four-and-a-half years of war, and expanding to target Kyiv's bridges, causing severe traffic disruptions.