A man stands next to an blast crater outside a residential building following an overnight Russian missile strike on Kyiv on November 7.

Zelenskyy Says Russia Seeks 'Blackout' In Ukraine Ahead Of US-Mediated Talks In Abu Dhabi

07 Nov 2026, 10:10 by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service and , RFE/RL's Russian Service · Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty · Join

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia is seeking to "plunge the entire country into a blackout" by pounding more than a dozen Ukrainian regions with drones and missiles ahead of US-mediated talks with Moscow next week.

"Ukraine must not be left alone" as the fifth wartime winter approaches, Zelenskyy said on November 7, days before Ukrainian, Russian, and US negotiators are set to hold talks in Abu Dhabi.

Since 2022, the Kremlin has repeatedly exploited cold weather to intensify its air strikes, attacking the country's energy and civilian sites in a bid to pressure Kyiv into accepting its hard-line conditions for peace.

Heading into this winter, attacks have already left thousands of Ukrainians without heat or electricity. The latest strikes alone have created an "extremely difficult" situation in the capital, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

According to Ukrainian authorities, electricity transmission lines, residential buildings, and key transport infrastructure, including Kyiv's major bridge over the Dnipro River, were targeted across the country overnight.

Zelenskyy said Russia had launched 172 drones and 36 ballistic missiles at Ukraine, among other things, seeking to disrupt its energy grid by targeting substations connecting the country's nuclear power plants.

Separately, a kindergarten in the capital's Solomyansky district was severely damaged in Russia's attacks. Local residents told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service that the facility was in high demand among Kyiv families.

While helping clean up after the attack, a local, Tetyana, said the kindergarten had previously been near the site of several attacks, but that the November 7 strike had "directly" hit it.

"Only yesterday kids were playing here, dancing, and drawing," she said, adding that "now, there is nothing left" inside the building. "We hope very much for help."

More than a dozen people were reported injured across Ukraine on November 7, including at least two children. One person was killed in the Dnipropetrovsk region, the country's key eastern hub that hosts thousands of refugees from occupied areas.

Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed its strikes on Kyiv, claiming in particular that the targeted bridge was used to transport weapons and military equipment for the Ukrainian Armed Forces -- a justification Moscow has often used for its attacks on civilian infrastructure.

Zelenskyy called on Washington to increase its support for Ukraine, urging greater Congressional unity on security issues, condemnation of Russian aggression, and stronger sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"America's determination and consistency in supporting Ukraine are of great importance in bringing peace closer," he said.

Kyiv has repeatedly argued that increasing pressure on the Kremlin and its war machine could shift the balance of power in the war and force Russia into meaningful negotiations that could stop its long-running invasion.

Russia has previously resisted calls for a cease-fire, saying the fighting would stop only when the parties reach a "comprehensive peace deal" that would include Moscow's demands, including control over Ukrainian territories that Russian forces have yet to seize on the battlefield.

In response, over the past year, Ukraine has increased its air strike campaign against Russian energy infrastructure and military-industrial facilities, targeting sites Kyiv says help sustain Moscow's war effort.

On November 7, the Ukrainian military said its forces carried out long-range strikes against several Russian facilities linked to the oil industry and military production, claiming the attacks could disrupt the production of weapons used against Ukraine.

According to Ukraine's General Staff, its missile forces targeted the JSC Proton-Electrotex military-industrial enterprise in Russia's Oryol region, adding that the company produces components used in Russia's Iskander-M ballistic missiles and cruise missile systems.

Oryol regional authorities reported damage to warehouses and production facilities belonging to commercial enterprises, as well as three private houses.

Separately, in Russia's Saratov region, a fire broke out at the local oil refinery following a Ukrainian drone attack, Russian and Ukrainian media reported. Governor Roman Busargin said that civilian infrastructure was damaged in the strikes, with preliminary reports of casualties.

Russia's Defense Ministry claimed its air defense systems shot down 411 Ukrainian drones overnight. The figure has not been independently verified.

While the dynamics on the battlefield show no signs of easing, trilateral negotiations between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States are planned for November 10–11.

US President Donald Trump, whose administration has been trying to settle the conflict since the start of his second term in January 2025, said he believed a "big, beautiful agreement" could be close and suggested it might involve not only Ukraine but "all of Europe."

The Kremlin has previously raised concerns over its security in relation to European countries as another obstacle to a diplomatic resolution of its invasion of Ukraine. Trump's envoy Jared Kushner, however, said the talks would respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every country.

Kushner added that no state would have a veto over another's security choices or alliances, with NATO remaining central to European collective defense.

While more details of the future talks are yet to emerge, according to Interfax, Russia's delegation to the talks will include presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky and other officials whom Kyiv had earlier said did not have sufficient decision-making authority.

Medinsky previously led Russian negotiating teams in talks with Ukraine in 2022 and 2025 without securing a breakthrough.

Ukraine's delegation will be led by Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service and a former defense minister, according to Ukrainian media reports.

It will also include Presidential Office chief Kyrylo Budanov; David Arakhamia, head of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction; presidential communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn; and Serhiy Kyslytsia, first deputy head of the Presidential Office.

Last month, the United States mediated a temporary cease-fire that enabled humanitarian aid deliveries and civilian evacuations from the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, helping residents escape hunger and isolation in the war-torn area.

The development has increased hopes that the precedent could serve as a model for wider de-escalation efforts, but Moscow downplayed such ideas, suggesting it would not apply to the broader situation on the front line.

Zelenskyy Says Russia Seeks 'Blackout' In Ukraine Ahead Of US-Mediated Talks In Abu Dhabi

Zelenskyy Says Russia Seeks 'Blackout' In Ukraine Ahead Of US-Mediated Talks In Abu Dhabi

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