Russia Strikes Kyiv Infrastructure Ahead of Abu Dhabi Peace Talks

Russian forces launched a massive aerial assault on November 6 and 7, 2026, deploying 36 ballistic missiles and 172 drones against Kyiv and 12 other Ukrainian regions. The strikes targeted critical energy infrastructure, including substations linked to nuclear power plants, and the Northern Bridge over the Dnipro River. The attacks caused widespread power, water, and heating outages as temperatures dropped toward zero, and damaged a kindergarten in the Solomianskyi district. At least two people were killed and approximately a dozen wounded.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that the barrage included North Korean-manufactured KN-23 missiles and noted that only four of the 36 ballistic missiles were intercepted due to a deficit of Patriot interceptors. He characterized the escalation as a Russian attempt to use aggression as a diplomatic tool to pressure Ukraine ahead of trilateral peace talks scheduled for November 10-11 in Abu Dhabi. Zelenskyy also expressed skepticism toward a security framework proposed by Jared Kushner, describing it as "Yalta 2.0."

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated the operation targeted military-industrial facilities and transport infrastructure to disrupt military hardware movement. Simultaneously, Ukraine launched retaliatory drone strikes across 10 Russian regions, damaging the Saratov Oil Refinery and the Proton-Electrotex plant in Oryol. These events follow a brief six-day ceasefire in the Kherson region, brokered with assistance from Melania Trump, which allowed civilians to evacuate the town of Oleshky.