Ukraine says Russian strikes aim to pressure talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia on Saturday of intensifying strikes across Ukraine to pressure Kyiv and its partners before US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi next week.

Ukraine's energy ministry said “a massive attack on a number of energy facilities” left consumers without power in the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kyiv, Zhytomyr and Kharkiv regions. It said electricity transmission in Kyiv and the surrounding region was significantly hampered, but did not say how many homes were affected.

Zelensky said Russia launched 172 drones and 36 ballistic missiles overnight. He said some of the ballistic missiles were North Korean-made KN-23 missiles and that they hit one of the key damaged energy facilities.

“By intensifying its attacks on Ukraine and our infrastructure at this very moment, Russia is trying to additionally lay the groundwork for putting pressure on Ukraine's position and that of its partners,” Zelensky said.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the overnight strikes damaged energy facilities and a key bridge in Kyiv. He warned that the energy supply situation was “extremely difficult”.

Russia's defence ministry said it had struck facilities belonging to Ukraine's military-industrial complex, energy sector and transport infrastructure in Kyiv and the surrounding region.

The strikes came days before Ukrainian officials are expected to meet Russian negotiators and US envoys in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday and Wednesday, in the first such direct talks in months.

Zelensky also urged the United States to increase aid to Ukraine, saying there was still a significant shortage of interceptors for Patriot air defence systems and that Washington was best placed to help.

Russia has repeatedly hit Ukraine's energy grid during its full-scale invasion, and Ukraine is preparing for another winter of war as temperatures begin to hover around freezing.

Diplomatic efforts have been stalled since February. US President Donald Trump's attempts to broker an end to the war have foundered over Moscow's territorial demands, including its insistence on controlling all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, including areas still held by Kyiv. Zelensky has rejected surrendering Ukrainian-held territory.