World

Ukraine Blames Russia for Intensified Energy Attacks Ahead of Abu Dhabi Talks

By AFP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday, November 7 2026, accused Russia of ramping up strikes across the country to pressure Kyiv ahead of a U.S.-brokered meeting in Abu Dhabi scheduled for Tuesday, November 10, and Wednesday, November 11. The latest attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure came after an overnight barrage that caused power cuts as temperatures fell. Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said a “massive attack on a number of energy facilities” plunged five regions into darkness and severely hampered electricity transmission in Kyiv and the surrounding area. Zelensky said the timing of the aerial barrage showed that Russia had a “very particular view of diplomacy” and was trying to lay the groundwork for putting pressure on Ukraine’s position and that of its partners. He added that Russia launched 172 drones and 36 ballistic missiles during the night, including KN‑23 missiles supplied by North Korea, which hit a key energy facility that was already damaged. Moscow has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s energy grid and infrastructure during its four‑and‑a‑half‑year invasion, and Kyiv is now preparing for another harsh winter as temperatures hover around freezing. The Russian Defence Ministry said it had struck “facilities belonging to the military‑industrial complex, the energy sector, and transport infrastructure” in Kyiv and its surrounding region. Zelensky urged the United States to increase aid to Ukraine, noting a significant shortage of interceptors for Patriot systems. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the overnight strikes damaged energy facilities and a key bridge, warning that the energy supply situation was “extremely difficult.” Consumers in the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kyiv, Zhytomyr and Kharkiv regions were left without power, the Energy Ministry said, without indicating how many homes were affected. Ukrainian officials are expected to meet with Russian negotiators and U.S. envoys on November 10 and 11 for the first direct talks in months. The diplomatic track has stalled since February when Washington shifted focus to its war with Iran. President Donald Trump’s attempts to broker an end to the war have failed over Moscow’s sweeping territorial demands, particularly its insistence on controlling all of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, including areas still held by Kyiv. Zelensky has rejected surrendering Ukrainian‑held territory, warning that Russia could use it as a springboard for another attack. Russia, which launched its full‑scale invasion in February 2022, now occupies roughly one‑fifth of Ukrainian territory.