Russia Unleashes Major Missile And Drone Barrage Overnight In Ukraine Amid Diplomatic Talks
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched a major missile and drone attack on Ukraine on Saturday after U.S. and Ukrainian officials said they would meet Saturday for a third day of talks. almost 4 years of war,
Following talks that made progress on a security framework for post-war Ukraine, the two sides made a sobering assessment that “real progress towards any agreement” would ultimately depend on “Russia’s readiness to make a serious commitment to long-term peace.”
Statement from the US special representative Steve WitkoffAfter their second day of meeting in Florida on Friday, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Ukrainian negotiators Rustem Umerov and Andriy Hnatov arrived. While Trump has pushed Kiev and Moscow to accept a US-brokered proposal to end the war, they have offered only broad brushstrokes about the progress they say has been made.
Russia used 653 drones and 51 missiles in a sweeping attack on Ukraine overnight, the country’s air force said on Saturday morning, triggering air strike warnings across the country and coinciding with Ukraine celebrating Armed Forces Day.
The air force reported that Ukrainian forces shot and neutralized 585 drones and 30 missiles, and 29 points were hit.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said that at least eight people were injured in the attacks.
Among them, at least three people were injured in the Kyiv region, according to local officials. Drone sightings were reported as far west as the Lviv region of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s national energy operator Ukrenergo wrote on Telegram that Russia had carried out a “massive missile-drone attack” on power plants and other energy infrastructures in various regions of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant temporarily lost all offsite power overnight, the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Saturday, citing Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.
The facility is located in an area that has been under Russian control since the early days of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. not in serviceBut it needs reliable power to cool its six reactors and spent fuel, which have been shut down to avoid any catastrophic nuclear events.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the main target of the attacks was energy facilities, and noted that the train station in the city of Fastiv in the Kiev region was “burned down” by a drone attack.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defense had shot down 116 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory by Saturday.
Russian Telegram news channel Astra stated that Ukraine hit Russia’s Ryazan Oil Refinery and shared images showing a fire breaking out and smoke clouds rising over the refinery. The Associated Press could not independently verify the video.
Ukraine did not immediately comment on the alleged attack. Ryazan Regional Governor Pavel Malkov said a residential building was damaged in the drone attack and drone debris fell on the grounds of an “industrial facility”, but did not mention the refinery.
Months Ukraine’s long-range drone attacks Russian refineries aim to deprive Moscow oil export revenue He must continue the war. Meanwhile, Kyiv and its western allies say Russia is trying to do this Crippling the Ukrainian power grid and denying civilians access to heat, light and running water for the fourth consecutive winter in what Ukrainian officials have called “weaponizing” the cold.
The latest attacks came to the USA President Donald Trump Advisers and Ukrainian officials said they will meet for a third day of talks on Saturday after making progress on agreeing on a security framework for post-war Ukraine.
Following Friday’s talks, both sides made a sobering assessment that “real progress towards any agreement” will ultimately depend on “Russia’s readiness to make a serious commitment to long-term peace.”
Statement from the US special representative Steve WitkoffAfter their second day of meeting in Florida on Friday, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Ukrainian negotiators Rustem Umerov and Andriy Hnatov arrived. While Trump has pushed Kiev and Moscow to accept his proposal to end a US-brokered deal, they have offered only broad brushstrokes about the progress they say has been made. almost four years of war.
