According to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, multiple ballistic missile strikes damaged the Northern Bridge across the Dnipro River. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched 36 ballistic missiles, of which only four were intercepted. Air defense systems claimed to have destroyed 149 of the 172 drones involved in the attack. The strikes caused significant damage to energy facilities outside the capital, including systems transferring power from two nuclear plants to Kyiv and central Ukraine, the energy ministry stated.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that the capital faces “serious difficulties” with electricity, water, and heat supplies as temperatures approach zero. He noted that substations in five other regions were also hit. Authorities reported at least two people killed and approximately a dozen others wounded across Ukraine in the overnight attacks. Residential homes, businesses, and non-residential buildings sustained damage in Kyiv and other areas.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated it conducted a massive strike on targets within Ukraine’s military-industrial sector, as well as energy and transport infrastructure. Moscow did not provide specific casualty figures or detailed operational outcomes for the attack.
This escalation occurs more than four and a half years into Russia’s full-scale invasion. Analysts and officials note that Russia has intensified air attacks on energy infrastructure as its ground offensive has largely stalled. In recent weeks, the campaign has expanded to include Kyiv’s bridges, affecting traffic in a city of over three million people.
The strikes came days before a new round of three-way talks in Abu Dhabi between Ukrainian and Russian officials, part of a US-backed peace effort. Zelensky stated on X that Russia is “preparing for trilateral talks by launching ballistic missiles at Ukraine’s critical infrastructure.” He also expressed hope for increased support from the US Congress following recent midterm elections, citing Russia’s continuing increase in attacks.
France 24 reported at least five people injured in Kyiv, with missiles damaging residential and commercial buildings and forcing the closure of a Dnipro bridge. While both sources confirm the bridge damage and infrastructure strikes, casualty figures vary slightly, with Nypost citing two deaths and a dozen wounded nationwide, and France 24 focusing on injuries within Kyiv. Independent verification of specific equipment losses and the exact extent of damage to nuclear power transmission systems remains pending.
The next significant diplomatic event is the trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi, scheduled for next week. No further military deployments or official decisions regarding immediate countermeasures were announced in the available reports.
