Russia says 808 drones downed; pounds Ukraine with missiles - Kyiv endured noisy night as 21 ballistic missiles came in three waves smashing apartment buildings, energy facilities, railway station and city's subway system, says Zelenskyy; attacks began hours after Putin agreed to resume peace talks.
Associated Press - Russia bombarded Kyiv with ballistic missiles in hours-long nighttime barrage, while Russian military said Thursday its air defences intercepted over 800 drones fired by Ukraine at Moscow and other cities. At least four people killed in Ukraine and dozens wounded, officials said, in large-scale attacks that began only hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in principle on Wednesday to resume three-way negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and US.
Read more - Drone War Escalates
Mr. Putin's consent came in talks in St. Petersburg with U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, who had spoken of new momentum towards peace after meeting Tuesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Norway. No date set for tripartite talks. Representatives of three countries held rounds of technical talks in UAE and Switzerland in January and February, seeking to lay groundwork for detailed negotiations. But they reported little progress beyond exchanges of prisoners of war.
Russia's aerial attacks hit 12 regions of Ukraine overnight, killing at least four people and wounding scores of others, Zelenskyy said. Ukrainian capital endured noisy night as 21 ballistic missiles came in three waves, smashing apartment buildings, energy facilities, railway station and Kyiv subway system, shopping malls and businesses. One person killed in Kyiv. Ukrainians are bracing for bitterly cold months ahead as recent escalation in Russian attacks targets power grid.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Thursday Mr. Putin had received invitation to attend G20 summit in Miami in December but not yet decided whether to go. Russia's Defence Ministry said air defences overnight downed 808 Ukrainian drones, with two people reported wounded. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 630 of drones fired towards capital between late Wednesday and early Thursday. Moscow airports temporarily restricted air traffic overnight.
Read more - Kyiv Under Fire
Analytically, timing - attack hours after agreeing to talks - shows Putin's strategy - talk and bomb. For India, which proposed partial ceasefire in Black Sea to protect food security, escalation threatens wheat exports and oil prices - Brent up 2% to $111.69, US oil up 5.7% to $109.60. India's oil import bill up 47% in value, fiscal space shrinking.
If winter war continues, Europe faces energy crisis, India faces inflation.
Tags: #RussiaUkraine #Drones #Kyiv #Putin #Zelenskyy #MissileAttack #PeaceTalks #Witkoff #EnergyGrid #G20