Russian strikes wound nine and damage Ukraine's power network ahead of talks — SkimNews
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- Russia launched more than 30 ballistic missiles and over 170 drones against 12 Ukrainian regions, wounding nine people, including one child; Kyiv was hit hardest.
- Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow was preparing for next week’s trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi by attacking Ukraine’s "critical infrastructure," with Ukrainian and Russian delegations due to attend.
- Ukraine sustained damage at substations in the Kyiv region and in Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Rivne, Kharkiv and Dnipro; Kyiv-region strikes hit connections between the Rivne and Khmelnytsky nuclear power plants, Kyiv and central Ukraine.
- Kyiv suffered blackouts and disruptions to electricity, water and heating, while residential buildings, the North Bridge and a kindergarten were damaged; Mayor Vitali Klitschko said water was back to normal and around 60% of apartment buildings had heating.
- Denys Shmyhal said power cuts occurred in five regions without specifying how many homes were affected; temperatures were dropping and parts of Ukraine had seen their first winter snow.
- Ukraine was counting on increased bilateral support from the United States, unity between both parties on security and increased sanctions pressure on Putin, Zelensky said.
Why it matters: The immediate cost falls on Ukraine’s energy system and residents: nine people were hurt, outages hit electricity, water and heating as temperatures fell, and links serving two nuclear plants were damaged. Zelensky’s account also makes the attacks part of the diplomatic contest, placing increased U.S. support and sanctions pressure on Putin alongside next week’s talks.
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