Two dead in Russian air strikes

Two people were killed in Russian air strikes on ten Ukrainian regions on Tuesday night. According to authorities, there were also widespread power outages after five important substations for national power supply were hit.

The two deaths occurred in the Vinnytsia region, Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyj said on the short message service Telegram.

There, as well as in the Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovohrad regions, substations were hit. State grid operator Ukrenergo said the attacks damaged energy infrastructure in a total of eight regions. Power was out in six areas, including Kiev, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk.

Civilian infrastructure also attacked

According to authorities, there were more than 20 drone attacks in the Dnipropetrovsk region overnight. In addition, civilian infrastructure was attacked, including a large hardware store in the Kirovohrad region, as Governor Andriy Rajkowych announced.

Ukraine is having increasing difficulty fending off Russian attacks. The country lacks defensive weapons against fast ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones. Russia has expanded its attacks in recent months to specifically target companies and logistics centers and thus weaken the Ukrainian economy.

Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi

The latest wave of attacks coincided with the start of talks between representatives of the United States, Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi. While US special envoy Jared Kushner said recent contacts had reduced differences, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dampened expectations. Russia will not agree to an immediate ceasefire without knowing what will happen afterwards, Lavrov said.