Russia Fires 172 Drones and 36 Ballistic Missiles at Kyiv in Massive Overnight Strike
Russia fired 172 drones and 36 ballistic missiles at Kyiv overnight, damaging the Northern Bridge and energy facilities and leaving one person dead and eight wounded in the capital.
The update
Russia launched one of its largest air attacks of the war on Kyiv overnight, firing 172 drones and 36 ballistic missiles, mainly at the capital and the surrounding region, Ukrainian officials said on Saturday. Ukraine’s air force said defences downed 149 of the drones and intercepted four missiles. Several missiles struck the Northern Bridge over the Dnipro River, closing it to traffic, and energy facilities were damaged in at least three districts of the Kyiv region and in Zhytomyr. One person was killed and eight wounded, including a child, in Kyiv; later tallies put the wider toll at at least two killed and about a dozen wounded. Homes and a kindergarten were also damaged.
Why it matters
The barrage hit a substation carrying power from two nuclear plants to Kyiv, and Mayor Vitali Klitschko called the city’s power, heating and water situation “extremely difficult” as temperatures hovered near freezing. Russia’s defence ministry confirmed the strike, saying it targeted military-industrial, energy and transport sites, including the bridge, which it claimed was used to transport weapons. It came days before a fourth round of US-brokered trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi.
What to watch
Whether Kyiv can restore power and reopen the Northern Bridge before the Abu Dhabi talks open on November 10; any Ukrainian long-range response; and whether the strikes continue through the talks, which run to November 11.
Sources
- koreajoongangdaily.com (Reuters) — confirming the 172 drones and 36 ballistic missiles, the Northern Bridge damage, and one killed and eight wounded in Kyiv
- vidianews.com (DW) — confirming the energy-facility damage in the Kyiv and Zhytomyr regions, the air-defence figures, and Russia’s confirmation of the strike
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