By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia launched another wave of attacks against Ukraine’s electrical infrastructure Monday, Nov. 9, while Ukrainian forces struck one of Russia’s largest oil refineries and a missile fuel production facility, escalating their campaign of long-range attacks ahead of U.S.-brokered negotiations scheduled to begin Tuesday in the United Arab Emirates.
The strikes underscored the difficulties facing American mediators as Washington attempts to negotiate an end to a war approaching its fifth anniversary. Neither Moscow nor Kyiv has publicly indicated a willingness to abandon its principal demands, despite President Donald Trump’s assertion that a peace agreement could be close.
According to The Associated Press’ Nov. 9 report, Russia targeted four electrical substations in Ukraine’s Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Cherkasy and Vinnytsia regions. The attacks came as temperatures decline and Ukraine prepares for another winter of threats to electricity, heating and water supplies.
Ukraine’s air force reported that Russian forces launched 317 drones overnight, including 105 jet-powered drones, continuing Moscow’s campaign against energy facilities and other targets.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that the European Union had agreed to activate an emergency assistance mechanism designed to accelerate funding for repairs to damaged electrical infrastructure.
Repeated attacks on substations and power generation facilities have forced Ukrainian authorities to divert resources toward restoring essential services while maintaining electricity supplies for households, businesses and military operations.
Russian strikes also hit a warehouse in the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa containing food intended for schools and kindergartens. Local officials reported that three people were killed.
The latest deaths followed another attack last week in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, where a Russian glide bomb struck an aid distribution center near the front line, killing at least 55 people.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces carried out their own long-range strikes deep inside Russian territory.
A drone attack caused a fire at the KINEF oil refinery near St. Petersburg, Leningrad region Gov. Alexander Drozdenko confirmed Monday.
The refinery, also known as the Kirishi refinery, is among Russia’s largest petroleum processing facilities and is located more than 745 miles from Ukraine’s border.
The strike demonstrated Ukraine’s expanding ability to target Russian energy infrastructure far from the battlefield using domestically developed long-range drones.
Kyiv has increasingly targeted refineries and other petroleum facilities in an effort to disrupt the fuel supplies and revenues supporting Russia’s military campaign.
Ukrainian officials claimed in early October that repeated long-range strikes had disabled more than half of Russia’s refining capacity. That assessment has not been independently established, and the duration and extent of damage to individual facilities remain uncertain.
Ukraine’s General Staff also reported striking a facility near St. Petersburg that produces solid rocket propellant used in Russia’s Iskander-M ballistic missiles.
The attack was intended to disrupt production of weapons that Russia has used extensively against Ukrainian cities, military installations and energy infrastructure.
Ukraine’s ability to intercept ballistic missiles remains limited, particularly because its armed forces depend heavily on U.S.-manufactured Patriot air defense systems.
Patriot interceptor missiles are in short supply, making Russian ballistic missile attacks a continuing challenge for Ukrainian air defenses.
The exchanges occurred as representatives from Russia, Ukraine and the United States prepared for two days of negotiations beginning Tuesday, Nov. 10, in Abu Dhabi.
The discussions are expected to address security guarantees, arrangements intended to prevent renewed fighting, Ukraine’s postwar economic recovery and humanitarian assistance.
The American delegation will include presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who have participated in previous diplomatic efforts involving Moscow and Kyiv.
Trump expressed optimism about the negotiations during a CBS News 60 Minutes interview broadcast Sunday, asserting that an agreement was within reach despite the personal hostility between Putin and Zelenskyy.
The president described the two sides as “very close” to a settlement while acknowledging the “tremendous hatred” between their leaders.
Trump also suggested that Ukraine would emerge from a negotiated settlement with “a little bit different shape,” without specifying what territorial arrangements or political concessions he envisioned.
His remarks raised questions about whether the negotiations could involve changes to Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders, one of the principal disputes separating the two governments.
Russia continues to demand territorial and security concessions, while Ukraine has insisted that any settlement must include credible guarantees against another Russian invasion.
The previous round of three-way negotiations, held in Geneva in February, failed to produce a major breakthrough.
The Abu Dhabi meeting will take place under different political and economic circumstances, however, including continued pressure on Russia’s finances and the consequences of repeated attacks on Ukraine’s economy and infrastructure.
The American political environment has also changed following the Nov. 3 midterm elections, in which Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress.
The new congressional majorities, which take office in January, could seek additional military assistance for Ukraine or increase scrutiny of the administration’s negotiations with Moscow.
European participation in the talks has become another point of disagreement.
Russia has insisted that the Abu Dhabi discussions remain limited to Moscow, Kyiv and Washington, excluding European governments from direct participation.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated Monday that the talks would follow a trilateral format, with the United States serving as mediator.
“You are aware that the Americans have their own channels of communication with the Europeans, as do the Ukrainians, and it appears they are already establishing their own methods of coordination,” Peskov said.
“But, to reiterate, this is a matter of trilateral negotiations.”
European officials have nevertheless sought involvement in discussions affecting Ukraine’s security and the continent’s broader defense arrangements.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Sunday that representatives from France and other European governments would travel to the United Arab Emirates during the negotiations.
Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said European representatives would participate in separate coordination meetings with Kyiv’s delegation.
Kushner also indicated that American representatives intended to consult officials from Ukraine, the European Union, NATO, Germany, France, Britain and Italy before the formal talks began.
The arrangements reflect competing approaches to the negotiations, with Moscow seeking direct discussions involving Washington and Kyiv while European governments insist that their security interests must be considered.
Russia has repeatedly characterized NATO’s presence and expansion as a national security concern, while Ukraine has sought international guarantees strong enough to deter another invasion.
Determining the nature of those guarantees is expected to be one of the most difficult issues facing negotiators.
The discussions also come as both countries attempt to strengthen their bargaining positions through continued military operations.
For Moscow, sustained attacks against Ukraine’s electrical system place additional pressure on the government and civilian population as winter approaches.
For Kyiv, strikes against Russian oil refineries and military manufacturing facilities aim to disrupt fuel supplies, weapons production and the financial resources available to sustain the invasion.
Neither campaign has produced a decisive end to the fighting.
The war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, has killed hundreds of thousands of military personnel and thousands of civilians, according to estimates from analysts and humanitarian organizations. Exact casualty figures remain difficult to verify.
The approaching negotiations have not been accompanied by an announced ceasefire, and military operations are continuing along the front lines and deep inside both countries.
As additional reporting on Monday’s strikes and diplomatic preparations confirmed, the latest attacks took place while the delegations were completing arrangements for the Abu Dhabi meetings.
The two-day talks will test whether American mediation can narrow the differences over territory, security guarantees and the conditions required to halt hostilities.
For now, the competing strikes demonstrate that Moscow and Kyiv remain committed to military pressure even as they prepare to return to the negotiating table.
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