Ahead of Peace Negotiations, Ukraine Hit by Massive Wave of Attacks
Ukraine reported its largest Russian missile and drone attack so far this year, coming just days after a brief lull in attacks on energy infrastructure ended. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia launched more than 450 drones and over 70 missiles in overnight attacks targeting Kyiv and several major cities.
The attacks took place during a severe cold wave, with temperatures dropping below -20°C. In Kyiv, several regions experienced emergency blackouts, leaving residents without heating. Kharkiv was also affected—heating was reportedly turned off in hundreds of buildings, while in the Odesa region, tens of thousands of people were reportedly without power.
Ukraine's largest private energy company, DTEK, said its thermal power plant suffered significant equipment damage in the attacks—adding further stress to an already fragile energy system in the winter.
On the regional security front, Poland reportedly scrambled fighter jets as a standard precaution to protect its airspace, as a major attack occurred near the sensitive Eastern European region.
This attack occurred ahead of the continuation of the Ukraine-Russia-US trilateral negotiations in the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi), which are scheduled to continue this week. The report also highlighted the confusion surrounding the previous "pause" in the attacks—the Kremlin, through Dmitry Peskov, had previously stated that the halt was temporary until February 1, while fighting and attacks on non-energy infrastructure continued.
Source: Newsmaker.id
