Russian forces struck 10 Ukrainian regions overnight in air attacks that targeted five major electrical substations, sparked widespread power outages and killed two people, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday — the night before Russian, Ukrainian and U.S. negotiators opened two days of talks in Abu Dhabi.
Prime Minister Sergiy Koretskyi said Russia hit substations in the Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia and Kirovohrad regions, and that both people killed were in Vinnytsia. The state grid operator Ukrenergo said energy infrastructure was struck in eight regions overnight and into the morning, leaving homes without power in six, including Kyiv, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had received Koretskyi's report on the energy sector and the work to address the aftermath of the strikes, with the European Commission coordinating steps to help Ukrainian cities through the winter.
In the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, officials said Russia attacked four districts with drones more than 20 times overnight. In the central Kirovohrad region, Governor Andriy Raikovych said civilian infrastructure, including a major home improvement store, came under attack; the State Emergency Service said a repeat strike set a civilian infrastructure object on fire and injured two people, with firefighters working under the constant threat of another strike.
The strikes are part of a renewed Russian air campaign as winter approaches. Moscow has expanded its attacks in recent months to strike Ukrainian businesses, consumer logistics and other economic targets in a bid to weaken Kyiv's war effort, and Ukraine has struggled to intercept the attacks amid a shortage of weapons able to down fast-moving ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones.
The overnight attacks landed hours before the first three-way meeting since February opened in Abu Dhabi. U.S. envoy Jared Kushner said recent contacts with both sides had "narrowed the gaps." Separately, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia would not agree to an immediate ceasefire without knowing what would happen next.
For American households, this is the kitchen-table side of the Abu Dhabi talks: every night the war runs, energy markets stay on edge and Ukraine's need for air defence grows. A settlement that stops the strikes on the power grid is also what steadies the prices families pay to heat, drive and eat.
📰 ProfiloPolitics Member News — choose your news, share it, earn credit:
https://white-curlew-963569.hostingersite.com
Never miss a story — Join our Telegram channel
Breaking U.S. political news, live as it happens — plus the stories the big outlets sit on.
Join ProfiloPolitics on Telegram