Moscow/Kyiv (Rajeev Sharma): Russia unleashed one of its heaviest aerial assaults on Ukraine overnight, firing roughly 450 long-range drones along with nearly 70 missiles of various types, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday. The large-scale attack came just a day before Ukraine and Russia were due to take part in US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi aimed at exploring ways to end the nearly four-year-long conflict.
Ukrainian officials said the strikes hit at least five regions, with a primary focus on critical energy infrastructure. Zelenskyy accused Moscow of deliberately targeting the power grid to deprive civilians of electricity, heating and water during one of the harshest winters in recent years. At least 10 people were reported injured in the overnight attacks.
“On the coldest days of winter, terrorising civilians matters more to Russia than diplomacy,” Zelenskyy said, urging Ukraine’s allies to speed up deliveries of air defence systems and step up pressure on Moscow to stop its invasion, which began on February 24, 2022.
The bombardment unfolded as diplomatic efforts continued, with talks scheduled in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and Thursday. Although recent contacts between Russian and Ukrainian representatives have been described as constructive, significant differences remain. The US administration mediating the discussions is still seeking progress on contentious issues, including the status of Ukrainian territories occupied by Russian forces.
Ukrainian authorities said Moscow’s broader strategy appears aimed at wearing down civilian morale by causing widespread disruption. Energy facilities across the country have repeatedly been targeted, including substations, transformers and power plants. DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company, said its thermal power stations were struck again, marking the ninth major attack on its facilities since October.
In Kyiv, emergency services reported damage to residential buildings, a kindergarten and a petrol station in multiple districts, leaving at least five people injured. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said about 1,170 apartment buildings were without heating by early morning, undoing recent repair work that had restored power to most homes.
Strikes were also reported in the northeastern Kharkiv region and the southern Odesa region, where further injuries were recorded. In the capital, the attack caused additional damage to the Hall of Fame at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, located near the Motherland Monument.
Culture Minister Tetiana Berezhna condemned the strike on the museum, describing it as symbolic and deeply cynical. She said it showed how “the aggressor state attacks a site commemorating resistance to aggression in the 20th century, while repeating those crimes in the 21st.”
