Russia bombards Ukraine with drones and missiles a day before planned peace talks

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia carried retired a large overnight onslaught connected Ukraine successful what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday was a breached committedness to halt striking vigor infrastructure arsenic the countries prepared for much talks connected ending Moscow’s 4-year-old full-scale invasion.

The bombardment included hundreds of drones and a grounds 32 ballistic missiles, wounding astatine slightest 10 people. It specifically took purpose astatine the powerfulness grid, Zelenskyy said, arsenic portion of what Ukraine says is Moscow’s ongoing run to contradict civilians light, heating and moving h2o during the coldest wintertime successful years.

“Taking vantage of the coldest days of wintertime to terrorize radical is much important to Russia than diplomacy,” Zelenskyy said. Temperatures successful Kyiv fell to minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 Fahrenheit) during the nighttime and stood astatine minus 16 C (minus 3 F) connected Tuesday.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte visited Kyiv successful a amusement of support. He said that the overnight strikes rise doubts astir Moscow’s intentions connected the eve of talks, calling them “a truly atrocious signal.”

He added that it was wide that the attacks lone fortify Ukrainians’ resolve.

Officials person described caller talks betwixt Moscow and Kyiv delegations arsenic constructive. But aft a twelvemonth of efforts, the Trump medication is inactive searching for a breakthrough connected cardinal issues specified arsenic who keeps the Ukrainian onshore that Russia’s service has occupied, and a broad colony appears distant. The talks successful Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine is acceptable to sermon however to extremity the fighting. "But nary 1 is going to surrender,” helium said.

Dispute implicit powerfulness grid attacks

A Kremlin authoritative said past week that Russia had agreed to halt strikes connected Kyiv for a week until Feb. 1 due to the fact that of the frigid temperatures, pursuing a idiosyncratic petition from U.S. President Donald Trump to Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, the bitter acold is continuing and truthful are Russia’s aerial attacks.

Zelenskyy, however, accused Russia of breaking its committedness to clasp disconnected its attacks connected Ukraine's vigor assets, claiming the weeklong intermission was owed to travel into unit past Friday.

“We judge this Russian onslaught intelligibly violates what the American broadside discussed, and determination indispensable beryllium consequences,” helium said.

The bombardment of astatine slightest 5 regions of Ukraine comprised 450 long-range drones and 70 missiles, Ukrainian officials said.

Russian officials provided nary contiguous effect to Zelenskyy's comments.

Ukraine says Russia has tried to deterioration down Ukrainians’ appetite for the combat by creating hardship for the civilian colonisation surviving successful dark, freezing homes.

It has tried to wreck Ukraine’s energy network, targeting substations, transformers, turbines and generators astatine powerfulness plants. Ukraine’s largest backstage powerfulness company, DTEK, said that the overnight onslaught deed its thermal powerfulness plants successful the ninth large battle since October.

NATO amusement of support

Rutte addressed the Ukrainian parliament during his sojourn and said that countries successful the subject confederation "are acceptable to supply enactment rapidly and consistently” arsenic bid efforts resistance on.

Since past summer, NATO members person provided 75% of each missiles, and 90% of those utilized for Ukraine's aerial defense, nether a fiscal statement whereby confederation countries bargain American weapons to springiness to Ukraine, helium said.

European countries, fearing Moscow's ambitions, spot their ain aboriginal information arsenic being connected the enactment successful Ukraine.

“Be assured that NATO stands with Ukraine and is acceptable to bash truthful for years to come," Rutte said. “Your information is our security. Your bid is our peace. And it indispensable beryllium lasting.”

Kyiv flat blocks near without power

In Kyiv, officials said that 5 radical were wounded successful the strikes that damaged and acceptable occurrence to residential buildings, a kindergarten and a state presumption successful assorted parts of the capital, according to the State Emergency Service.

By aboriginal morning, 1,170 flat buildings successful the superior were without heating, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. That acceptable backmost hopeless repair operations that had restored vigor to each but 80 flat buildings earlier the attack, helium said.

Russia besides struck Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, wherever injuries were reported, and the confederate Odesa region.

The onslaught besides damaged the Hall of Fame astatine the National Museum of the History of Ukraine successful the Second World War, successful Kyiv, Ukrainian Culture Minister Tetiana Berezhna said.

“It is symbolic and cynical astatine the aforesaid time: The aggressor authorities strikes a spot of representation astir the combat against aggression successful the 20th century, repeating crimes successful the 21st,” Berezhna said.

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This communicative has been corrected to clarify that the figures of buildings lacking services each notation to heating.

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