Russia launches 36 missiles and 172 drones at Ukraine ahead of Abu Dhabi talks
Key Facts
Russia launched 36 ballistic missiles and 172 drones at Kyiv and 12 other Ukrainian regions overnight on November 6-7, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. Ukrainian authorities said the attack injured 9 people, including a child, and damaged homes and commercial facilities in Kyiv. Power transmission networks carrying electricity from nuclear plants to Kyiv and central regions were also damaged, Ukraine's Energy Ministry said. Wider power outages affected Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Kharkiv, Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk. The strikes came ahead of a round of talks scheduled in Abu Dhabi, while Zelenskiy said Russia was preparing for them by launching missiles at critical infrastructure.
The Energy Ministry said the attacks also damaged other power facilities, while authorities said the missiles caused a new outage of water and electricity in Kyiv. Mayor Vitali Klitschko described the city's energy situation as "extremely difficult," saying it had affected heating and water. Authorities closed the Northern Bridge after the strikes and then began repairs, Klitschko said. He added that water pressure had stabilized. The measures came as the city grappled with damage to its power grid and related services.
Ukrainian authorities distinguished outages linked to the attack from scheduled load shedding imposed to protect the grid, which remained in effect across large parts of the country. Wider outages were concentrated in five regions: Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Kharkiv, Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk, but that did not mean a complete blackout in every region. Damage to networks carrying electricity from nuclear plants highlights the importance of transmission lines in delivering supplies to the capital and central regions. The damage reported by the Energy Ministry also means the strikes hit power transmission routes and other facilities, as well as residential and commercial buildings in Kyiv. Authorities did not provide an estimate of the amount of electricity affected or the repair timeline in the statements cited.
Russia's Defence Ministry, for its part, said it had shot down 411 Ukrainian drones overnight over 10 Russian regions, as well as drones over the Crimean Peninsula, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. The governor of Saratov region said a drone attack damaged "civilian infrastructure" and several residential buildings. Russian media later reported that the Saratov oil refinery had been hit. In Oryol, the regional governor said a Ukrainian attack damaged warehouse and production facilities in the regional capital. Russian media said a fire broke out at the Proton-Electrotex plant, while the report offered no independent confirmation of the damage.
The latest strikes followed an earlier Russian attack on November 3, during which three of its five thermal power plants shut down, DTEK said. Kyiv's mayor described the city's power situation at the time as "extremely difficult." In that night's attack, Ukraine's Energy Ministry said 20 strikes in 10 regions caused extensive damage and led to power outages. The repeated attacks on energy facilities place pressure on the grid among the challenges facing Ukraine as winter approaches. Damage reported in each attack remains based on statements by the relevant Ukrainian or Russian authorities.
Negotiators from Russia, Ukraine and the United States are due to meet in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, November 10, for a new round aimed at ending the war. Zelenskiy said Kyiv's priorities include halting strikes on energy facilities and critical infrastructure, opening grain shipments through the Black Sea and expanding prisoner exchanges. Territorial and security issues remain unresolved, according to the report. The meeting follows overnight strikes announced by Moscow and Kyiv. The information available did not indicate that the talks' date had changed because of the attack.
On the economic front, Russia's S&P Global manufacturing purchasing managers' index rose to 49.9 points in October, from 49.8 points in September. A reading below 50 points signals contraction, making the improvement limited and leaving the index below the growth threshold. New orders fell for a third consecutive month, according to the data cited. New export orders also contracted for a 12th consecutive month, with the decline the sharpest since May 2022. Survey participants linked this to lower demand from Commonwealth of Independent States countries, particularly Kazakhstan.