Russia Conducts The Deadliest Attack On Ukraine Shortly After The Trilateral Meet.

Kyiv; January 2026: Just hours after the trilateral negotiations, have begun at Abu Dhabi, involving Russia. Ukraine, and United States, since the evolvement of The Russia-Ukraine War in 2022 – Russia resorted to its most extensive overnight aerial assault on Ukraine this year, as per confirmed news from the Ukrainian officials stating on 24th January 2026 (Saturday local time).

The attacks were unfolded between two rounds of closed-door talks that have begun in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, with the Russian state media outlet TASS reported that a second day of negotiations was underway on Saturday.

Overnight, Ukraine’s air force reported widespread missile and drone launches, prompting air defense systems to activate across the country. In the capital, Kyiv, where several international media outlets have vetted the attacks from the ground have reiterated the hearing of multiple explosions as air raid sirens sounded.

Meanwhile, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the strikes killed at least 01 person and injured 04 others. He added that falling debris ignited fires and damaged residential buildings, leaving nearly 6,000 apartment blocks without heating and disrupting water supplies across parts of the city. While, the temperature in Kyiv has dropped to -12 degrees Celsius (10 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday.

Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, was also hit. Mayor Ihor Terekhov said strikes damaged a maternity hospital and a dormitory housing displaced people. At least 19 people were wounded, including 01 child.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia have launched more than 370 drones and 21 missiles overnight, targeting Kyiv as well as the regions of Sumy and Chernihiv. He said the assaults were heavily focused on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which he described as “critical” during the winter months. The bombardment came shortly after delegations from Ukraine and Russia had the first day of talks with US representatives. According to TASS, territorial control remains the central unresolved issue in the negotiations.

Russia has reiterated its demand that Ukraine withdraw from the eastern Donbas region – a condition Kyiv has repeatedly rejected. The Donbas, which includes the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, was once Ukraine’s industrial core and has a large Russian-speaking population. It was also the area where Moscow first began efforts to destabilise Ukraine in 2014. The region holds strategic importance for Ukraine’s defenses, containing fortified industrial cities, rail networks and supply routes that support the eastern Ukraine. Losing it would expose much of eastern Ukraine to further Russian advances.

Russia’s delegation in Abu Dhabi reportedly includes senior military and intelligence figures, National Security and Defence Council chief Rustem Umerov, along with senior officials including Kyrylo Budanov and negotiator David Arakhamia. Chief of the General Staff Andrii Hnatov is also a part of the team. The US team is led by President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, alongside Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and White House adviser Josh Gruenbaum. Russia’s delegation is headed by GRU director Igor Kostyukov, while investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev is holding separate economic discussions with US envoy Steve Witkoff. The Trump administration has urged Ukraine to consider a peace agreement, a stance that has raised concerns among some allies that such a deal could benefit Moscow.

Nearly four years after launching its full-scale invasion, Russia currently occupies about 20% of Ukraine’s internationally recognised territory, including nearly all of Luhansk and parts of Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

After Friday’s talks concluded, Ukraine’s chief negotiator Rustem Umerov said discussions had centered on achieving a “dignified and lasting peace”, and expressed gratitude to the United States for its role in mediation. “Additional meetings are scheduled for tomorrow”, he said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky remained cautious, saying it was “too early” to draw conclusions. “We will see how the talks go tomorrow and what the results will be”, he said in a nightly address. He has emphasised that “the main thing” is for Russia to demonstrate genuine willingness to end the war, adding: “Ukraine’s position is clear. I have defined the framework for dialogue for our delegation”.

Zelenskyy has previously said that a US backed, 20-point peace framework is close to being finalised, though the future status of the Donbas region remains unresolved. He has also proposed a reciprocal troop withdrawal of up to 40 kilometres to establish a demilitarised free economic zone, subject to similar steps by Russia, and linked to long-term security guarantees for Ukraine.

Amidst bargaining for a win-win architecture with the United States, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has meanwhile remained engaged with Western allies parri-passu. Speaking about his meeting with President Donald Trump on the margins of the World Economic Forum in Davos, he described the interaction as “very positive”, and said both sides had arrived at an understanding on prospective US security guarantees for Ukraine, contingent upon approval by the US Congress and Ukraine’s parliament.

Suvro Sanyal – Team Maverick.