Ukraine Under Massive Russian Attack as UAE Talks Continue

Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions came under a massive Russian drone and missile attack overnight as talks continue between US, Russian and Ukrainian officials in the United Arab Emirates aimed at finding a path to end to the war. 

Kremlin forces launched more than 370 drones and 21 missiles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in social media posts on Saturday. Kyiv and the surrounding region, as well as parts of the Sumy, Kharkiv and Chernihiv regions in Ukraine’s north came under fire, he said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha denounced the strikes as a “cynical” move by Russian President Vladimir Putin, coming as the sides are meeting for peace talks. 

“His missiles hit not only our people, but also the negotiation table,” Sybiha said on X. 

At least one person was killed in Kyiv and four injured, while falling debris sparked fires across multiple districts and disrupted water and heating supplies, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in Telegram posts. 

Overnight, Russia carried out a massive attack on our regions, launching over 370 attack drones and 21 missiles of various types. Kyiv and the region, as well as the Sumy, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv regions, were targeted. In Kharkiv, a maternity hospital, a dormitory housing… pic.twitter.com/K0TQNNvu4T

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 24, 2026

Nearly 6,000 buildings in the capital were again left without heating amid sub-zero temperatures around -8C (18F). The strikes damaged critical infrastructure, including much that had only recently been reconnected following strikes earlier in the month, Klitschko said. More than 800,000 people in Kyiv are without electricity, said Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba. 

In Kharkiv, a maternity hospital, a dormitory for displaced people, a medical college and residential buildings were among the buildings damaged, with dozens  injured, Zelenskiy said. Chernihiv in northern Ukraine also has been left without electricity, local authorities reported.

“Every such Russian strike on our energy infrastructure proves that there must be no delays in supplying air defenses,” Zelenskiy said. “No blind eye can be turned to these strikes; they must be met with a strong response. We are counting on the reaction and assistance of all our partners.” 

Earlier in the week, Zelenskiy discussed strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses with US President Donald Trump during their meeting at the Davos forum, and made a blistering attack on European allies for not standing up to Putin.

Russia separately reported that 75 Ukrainian drones targeted various regions overnight, with no information on damage. Most of the drones were intercepted over the Rostov and Belgorod regions. 

Thousands of buildings in Kyiv and across Ukraine have been left without heating and basic amenities from frequent Russian airstrikes. The latest barrage coincided with the trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, which began on Friday and are expected to continue on Saturday.

The discussions follow months of US-led negotiations in an attempt to kick-start peace talks between two sides. US and Ukrainian officials earlier said they’ve made significant progress on a 20-point plan to end the conflict that’s lasted almost four years, and spiraled into Europe’s biggest since World War II. 

Peace efforts? Trilateral meeting in the UAE? Diplomacy? For Ukrainians, this was another night of Russian terror.

Cynically, Putin ordered a brutal massive missile strike against Ukraine right while delegations are meeting in Abu Dhabi to advance the America-led peace process.…  pic.twitter.com/5RZBUk29aP

— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) January 24, 2026

After Trump met Zelenskiy at Davos this week, US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son in law, traveled to Moscow to meet Putin before heading to Abu Dhabi. 

The Ukrainian delegation in the UAE is led by National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov and the Russian team is headed by Igor Kostyukov, chief of the country’s military intelligence service.

Kyiv and Moscow remain at an impasse on key points, including Putin’s demands that Kyiv cede to Russia areas of its eastern Donetsk and Luhansk provinces still under Ukrainian control. 

The Kremlin made it clear after talks with the US representatives that the “territorial issue” remains unresolved, raising questions about whether the Abu Dhabi meetings will yield any progress. 

Read more: Russia Sees No Breakthrough After Ukraine Talks With US Envoys

There is “no hope of achieving a long-term settlement” until Russia’s demands for territory in Ukraine are accepted, Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said in an audio recording on Telegram early Friday.

Russia insists on securing what it calls the “Anchorage understandings,” reached at Putin’s August summit with Trump in Alaska. That would require Ukraine to turn over the whole of Donetsk, while fighting would be frozen along the current lines of contact in the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. 

Ukraine rejects demands to withdraw its forces from the heavily fortified areas of Donetsk that Putin’s military has failed to occupy in fighting that stretches back to 2014. US proposals have suggested turning the unoccupied area into a de-militarized or free economic zone under special administration. 

Late Friday Zelenskiy said in a Telegram post that it was too early to draw conclusions from the Abu Dhabi talks until they’re wrapped up. While Ukraine wants to end the war and achieve full security, he said, progress would require a similar willingness on the Russian side. 

Watch LIVE TV, Get Stock Market Updates,
Top Business, IPO and
Latest News on NDTV Profit.