Ukraine: Russia hits Kyiv with airstrikes ahead of trilateral talks

Russia launched strikes on Kyiv and surrounding areas overnight, Russian and Ukrainian authorities said on Saturday.

Russia's Defense Ministry said the strikes hit the Northern Bridge and the Meridian Plant.

Moscow said that the bridge was being used by the Ukrainian military to transport weapons and military equipment, while the plant is used to produce Flamingo cruise missiles.

It said the strikes damaged several energy and industrial facilities in the Kyiv region, as well as an electricity substation in the neighboring Zhytomyr region and a cargo vessel in the Black Sea.

What have Ukrainian authorities said about the attacks?

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed the strikes on the Northern Bridge, adding that the Ukrainian capital found itself in an "extremely difficult" situation regarding power, heating and water supplies. Overnight temperatures dropped to 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) in the city.

The Kyiv region's governor, Tymur Tkachenko, said energy facilities in three of its districts had been hit.

Ukrainian authorities said that one person was killed and eight were wounded in the overnight attack.

In a statement on social media, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia used 172 drones and 36 ballistic missiles during the attack.

He said that Russia was trying to "push Kyiv … and the entire country into a blackout" and repeated his call for increased support from the United States.

Russia has stepped up airstrikes on Ukraine in recent months, targeting energy infrastructure and major cities, and more recently hitting bridges.

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Strikes come ahead of Russia-Ukraine talks

The strikes come days before a fourth round of trilateral talks between Kyiv, Moscow and Washington in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

Previous rounds of US-brokered talks have failed to achieve any breakthroughs, with territorial and security questions remaining major points of contention.

On Friday, US President Donald Trump said the war could be close to being settled and that he envisioned a "big, beautiful agreement" with Moscow that involves "all of Europe."

Last Friday, a six-day local ceasefire in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in the southern Kherson region enabled the evacuation of some 800 residents.

The brief truce was brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump.

Oleshky evacuees recount survival under occupation