Russia launched a large-scale overnight drone and missile assault on Ukraine on Saturday, striking energy, transport and other infrastructure across the country even as U.S. and Ukrainian officials reported “progress” in talks on a U.S.-led plan for Kyiv’s post-war security guarantees.
Ukraine’s air force said the barrage involved 653 drones and 51 missiles, of which Ukrainian air defences intercepted the majority; officials reported strikes on at least 29 locations, including regional power facilities and a rail depot near Kyiv in Fastiv that disrupted train services. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant — under Russian control — briefly lost off-site power, prompting safety concerns though authorities said the plant remained stable.
Ukrainian authorities reported a number of wounded and damage to civilian infrastructure, with emergency teams scrambled to restore power and heating as winter deepens. Kyiv and international agencies warned that the strikes, which also affected ports and energy output in southern regions such as Odesa, risked long-term harm to civilian services. Russia’s defence ministry said the strikes targeted military-industrial and energy sites in retaliation for Ukrainian operations.
The attack came amid a separate diplomatic push: U.S. mediators and Ukrainian negotiators were meeting in Florida for further discussions on a U.S.-proposed framework aimed at guaranteeing Ukraine’s security after the war. U.S. and Ukrainian spokespeople said there had been “real progress” on elements of a security package, while stressing that any agreement would require Russia’s willingness to make binding commitments. U.S. envoys said the next steps would depend on Moscow’s response.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the strikes as intended to “inflict suffering” on civilians and said Kyiv was continuing diplomatic engagement while maintaining its defences. Western leaders and humanitarian groups urged protection for civilian infrastructure and called for continued diplomacy even as fighting and strikes continued on the ground. Analysts warned that simultaneous military escalation and nascent diplomacy creates a volatile environment for negotiations.
Officials in Washington stressed the talks were preliminary and fragile. U.S. negotiators framed recent sessions as laying the groundwork for more detailed guarantees — including potential security guarantees from NATO-aligned countries — but said enforcement, verification and the fate of occupied territory would be among the hardest issues to resolve. Observers noted that progress on paper would likely face political and military hurdles unless Moscow demonstrates a sustained commitment to ceasefire terms.
What to watch next: whether Kyiv and its U.S. interlocutors can translate diplomatic momentum into specific, verifiable security guarantees — and crucially, whether Moscow responds constructively. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s emergency services will continue repair work on damaged infrastructure and keep citizens updated on power and transport restoration.
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