Russia launched a large-scale overnight attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on Tuesday, firing 76 missiles and 289 drones at targets across 10 of the country’s 24 regions. Three thermal power plants were hit and taken out of service, leaving extensive areas, including Kyiv, without electricity.
The strikes came as Ukraine approaches the European winter, raising concerns about the impact of prolonged outages as temperatures fall below zero. Seventeen of the missiles were ballistic, which are difficult to intercept, according to the account of the attack.
Separately, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the death toll from a Russian attack on a school being used to distribute humanitarian aid in Zaporizhzhia had risen to 31. He said gravity bombs fitted with glide kits were used. The first bomb struck as people queued at the site, with further strikes hitting while victims were being helped.
The attacks came ahead of the planned resumption of US-mediated trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi. The Kremlin confirmed on Tuesday that negotiations would restart after a nine-month pause linked in the report to the war in Iran. Russia’s delegation is set to be led by Vladimir Medinsky, who also represented Moscow in talks with Ukraine in Turkey in 2022.
Meanwhile, Ukraine struck another refinery inside Russia, despite US President Donald Trump’s call to stop such attacks. The report said the appeal was intended to preserve Russian diesel supplies under a controversial deal with Vladimir Putin.
Fighting has also intensified around Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, where Russia is seeking control of the part of the region still held by Kyiv. Reports of successful Ukrainian counterattacks have made the extent of Russian gains uncertain.
A preliminary meeting involving US and Ukrainian officials and representatives of European countries is scheduled for Wednesday in Brussels. France and the United Kingdom have also announced plans to lead a military exercise in Poland this month with nine other European countries. The drill will involve 2,800 troops, including 1,500 French and 300 British personnel, and will practice the use of force in response to a Russian attack, according to British general Tom Bateman.
The exercise is intended to simulate the deployment of a peacekeeping force to Ukraine. It involves NATO member countries but is not being conducted under the alliance’s command. Russia opposes the presence of foreign troops in Ukraine.
Diplomatic discussions are also continuing over a possible meeting between Trump, Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at an Asia-Pacific gathering in China later this month. The prospect has prompted protests in Ukraine and Europe over their representatives being absent from the proposed talks. On Thursday, US first lady Melania Trump is due to host Russian and Ukrainian envoys at the White House to thank them for a truce that allowed humanitarian aid to reach a besieged city in Russian-occupied Ukraine.
Sources: Folha Mundo.