Russian forces launched ballistic missiles at Kyiv overnight on Nov. 12, hours after the second day of U.S.-brokered peace negotiations in Abu Dhabi concluded without a meaningful breakthrough. Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that one person was killed and seven others were injured by a Russian drone strike during the attack. The capital faced significant disruption as air raid alerts sounded throughout the night, forcing residents into shelters while military jets targeted civilian infrastructure. This escalation occurred just days after U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to debrief President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is scheduled to attend an informal meeting of EU leaders on Nov. 13. The timing underscores the fragility of current diplomatic efforts, as kinetic attacks continue despite ongoing talks aimed at securing a ceasefire or prisoner exchanges.
Regional Infrastructure Damage
Local authorities confirmed that energy infrastructure in Khmelnytskyi Oblast’s Shepetivka district suffered severe damage from a recent Russian attack, causing emergency power outages across the area. Governor Serhii Tiurin stated in a Telegram post that "energy infrastructure was damaged, causing emergency power outages in the Shepetivka district," adding that a fire broke out in the western Ukrainian region as a direct result of the strike. Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi reported that power lines were also damaged in Kirovohrad and Rivne oblasts, further straining the national grid. Russia struck six major power substations in Vinnytsia, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, and Cherkasy oblasts overnight on Nov. 10-11, disrupting electricity supplies across the country. These coordinated strikes target critical nodes in the power distribution network, aiming to degrade Ukraine’s ability to sustain essential services during winter months.
The physical destruction extends beyond immediate blackout zones, with monitoring channels reporting that Ukrainian drones struck the Ust-Luga Baltic Sea port in Leningrad Oblast overnight on Nov. 11. This reciprocal action highlights the expanding scope of the conflict, where both sides target economic and logistical assets. Rustem Umerov, head of the Ukrainian delegation, noted that the Abu Dhabi talks produced an agreement on a new exchange of prisoners of war, offering a limited humanitarian gain amidst broader military stalemate. However, the continued targeting of civilian infrastructure demonstrates that diplomatic progress has not halted aggressive military operations. The European bloc has already paid over one-fifth more for Yamal LNG this year than throughout the entire 2025, according to Urgewald, reflecting the financial strain caused by prolonged conflict and shifting energy markets.
