Russia says it struck Ukrainian military factories overnight

Russia’s military said on Thursday that it had carried out a massive overnight strike on military factories across Ukraine, including Kyiv, where the mayor said a Russian drone had struck an apartment block.

Explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital in the early hours of Thursday, a Reuters witness said.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that one woman had been reported killed and five people had been injured after a Russian drone struck a nine-storey building in the city’s Solomyanskyi district, setting it ablaze.

The Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement it had hit a rocket factory in Kyiv and a drone assembly workshop and missile fuel factory in the wider Kyiv region, as well as electricity substations in the western Zhytomyr region.

The Russian attacks had also damaged energy and civilian infrastructure in the north-western Rivne region, a local Ukrainian official said on Telegram.

In Moscow, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram that air defence forces had downed five Ukrainian drones heading for the Russian capital overnight.

The Defence Ministry said a total of 71 Ukrainian drones had been brought down across Russia overnight.

Context from peace talks

The attacks came hours after Russia and Ukraine concluded another round of trilateral peace talks mediated by the United States in Abu Dhabi. While both sides agreed to prepare another major prisoner swap, other issues, including territory and Europe’s participation in future talks, reportedly caused heated debates at the negotiating table.

A member of the Ukrainian delegation, David Arakhamia, described negotiations as some of the toughest yet, saying the Russians made strict demands and left little room for compromise.

Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation, said after the negotiations: “Every inch of our land will be returned,” describing Ukraine as “an abscess that burst.” In addition to demanding Ukrainian territories, the Kremlin called for the establishment of a new security architecture in Europe.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said territory remained one of the many topics discussed during the latest round, with the U.S. mediators focusing on different ways to solve the territorial spat, mainly in the Donbas region.

Why it matters

The strikes underscore that hostilities continued immediately after diplomatic talks ended, with both sides reporting attacks on the other’s territory and infrastructure.

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Sources

• politico.eu: Russia attacks Ukraine hours after Abu Dhabi peace talks end – POLITICO
• internazionale.it: Russia says it launched a massive overnight strike on Ukrainian military factories - Internazionale

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.