Russia resumed large-scale attacks on energy infrastructure on Tuesday despite imminent peace talks and President Trump’s request to hold off.
Overnight, dozens of missiles targeted power plants in at least six regions of Ukraine including the capital, Kyiv, according to local authorities.
“The targets were not military,” Ukraine’s energy minister, Denys Shmyhal, said on social media. “They were purely civilian: Hundreds of thousands of families, including children, were deliberately left without heat during the harshest winter frosts.” He added that temperatures dipped to minus 25 degrees Celsius, or minus 13 degrees Fahrenheit.
Last Thursday, Mr. Trump said that he had asked President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to halt attacks for a week. Mr. Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry S. Peskov, confirmed the pause but said it would last only until Sunday.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said last week that Ukrainian intelligence had reported that Russia was preparing a new strike against Ukraine, and one came early Tuesday morning.
In the eastern city of Kharkiv, local authorities said that all of the city’s 101 tents providing warmth and power for charging devices had opened. Water would most likely need to be drained from the pipes after strikes on a power plant, leaving at least 820 apartment buildings without heating, they added.
In Kyiv, the attacks also targeted energy infrastructure, but the extent of the damage was not immediately known. At least three people were reported injured.
Mr. Zelensky earlier announced that a Ukrainian delegation had departed for Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, where talks among representatives from Russia, Ukraine and the United States are scheduled to take place on Wednesday.
According to Mr. Zelensky, bilateral discussions with the United States will also be held. He said there was “ground for talks” this time. “As for security guarantees, we are ready,” he said. The talks will also cover the future reconstruction of Ukraine.
Maria Varenikova covers Ukraine and its war with Russia.
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