Russia has carried out a record number of air strikes on Ukraine this year, according to U.S. network CNN.
Around 6,000 residential buildings in Kyiv have been left without electricity. Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv were also hit. The primary targets were facilities in the energy sector.
Russia launched its largest overnight air attack on Ukraine this year, local authorities said on Saturday. The attack came just hours after negotiators from Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington met for the first trilateral meeting since the start of the conflict and agreed to continue talks.
The second day of trilateral negotiations began on Saturday, and as on Friday, the talks are being held behind closed doors in Abu Dhabi, Russia’s TASS news agency reported.
According to Ukraine’s Air Force, missile and drone strikes hit the country’s capital between the two rounds of negotiations. Journalists in Kyiv reported hearing explosions.
According to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, at least one person was killed and four were injured in the air strike. The mayor added that falling debris caused fires and extensive damage to buildings, leaving approximately 6,000 residential buildings without heating, while several other districts of Kyiv were left without water. As of Saturday morning local time, temperatures in Kyiv had dropped to minus 12 degrees Celsius.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city located in the northeast, was also attacked. According to Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov, a maternity hospital and a shelter for displaced persons were damaged in the strikes. At least 19 people were injured, including one child.
It was a hellish night in Ukraine — Kyiv shook, sirens wailed incessantly, and 25 air strikes were recorded in Kharkiv.
Volodymyr Zelensky said that overnight Russia launched more than 370 drones and 21 missiles at various targets, including Sumy and Chernihiv. The Ukrainian leader added that the attacks were primarily aimed at Ukraine’s energy sector facilities, which play a “key role” during the cold winter.
The strikes followed shortly after delegations from both countries concluded the first day of talks with U.S. representatives.
Before the talks began, it was widely believed that territorial concessions were the only key issue yet to be resolved. The Kremlin confirmed the validity of Russia’s position that Ukraine must withdraw its troops from Donbas, a stance that Kyiv strongly opposes.
The Donbas region consists of two coal-rich regions — the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) — which once formed the industrial heart of Ukraine.
This territory also contains a “fortress belt” — a chain of industrial cities, railways, and highways that form the backbone of Ukraine’s defense and supply the front lines. Kyiv fortified this area for years, and its loss would leave the rest of eastern Ukraine completely exposed to enemy attacks.
Nearly four years after the start of the conflict, Russia has taken control of approximately 20 percent of the territory recognized under international law as part of sovereign Ukraine.
After the conclusion of talks on Friday, Ukraine’s chief negotiator Rustem Umerov wrote on his social media account that the goal of the meeting was to achieve a “dignified and lasting peace,” and he thanked the United States for its mediation efforts.
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Source: Politika, Foto: EPA-EFE