Russia fires 36 ballistic missiles at Kyiv

Ukraine launches drone strikes against Russia

Ukrainian rescue workers operate at the scene of a Russian strike on a medical facility in central Kyiv. [EPA]
Ukrainian rescue workers operate at the scene of a Russian strike on a medical facility in central Kyiv. [EPA]

Ukraine and Russia have continued trading large-scale strikes ahead of trilateral negotiations with the United States set for next week.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday on X, formerly Twitter, that Russia fired 36 ballistic missiles and deployed 172 drones overnight in attacks targeting Kyiv and surrounding areas.

Energy facilities were the primary targets, Zelensky said, adding that nine people were injured in total, including a child hurt in a strike on a kindergarten. "Ukraine must not be left to stand alone when Russia tries to plunge Kyiv — a city of millions — and all of Ukraine into darkness," he wrote.

The attacks knocked out power across five regions: Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kyiv, Zhytomyr and Kharkiv.

Ukraine has also kept up its own strikes against Russia. Russian authorities said a residential building in Belgorod Oblast was hit by a Ukrainian drone strike, killing one resident. Russia said it shot down 411 Ukrainian drones overnight across 10 regions, including Belgorod Oblast.

Meanwhile, the United States, Russia and Ukraine are set to hold trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on Tuesday, with a peace settlement as the main agenda item. Zelensky said in a recent interview with a Ukrainian private broadcaster that Western allies must provide concrete security guarantees even after any end to the war.


hyuk@heraldcorp.com