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Russia and Ukraine Trade Long-Range Strikes a Day Before Abu Dhabi Peace Talks

Russia hit four Ukrainian power substations and Ukraine struck a major Russian oil refinery on Monday, hours before envoys from both countries meet in Abu Dhabi for U.S.-brokered talks on ending the war.

By admin Nov. 9, 2026 · 1:52 PM ET 3 min read

A snow-covered apartment block at dusk with most windows dark, as utility workers in reflective vests repair power lines from a truck-mounted lift.

KYIV, Ukraine — Russia struck four Ukrainian power substations on Monday and Ukraine hit one of Russia’s largest oil refineries, as both sides traded long-range attacks hours before envoys meet in Abu Dhabi for U.S.-brokered talks on ending the war.

A snow-covered apartment block at dusk with most windows dark, as utility workers in reflective vests repair power lines from a truck-mounted lift.
A snow-covered apartment block at dusk with most windows dark, as utility workers in reflective vests repair power lines from a truck-mounted lift.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces targeted electrical substations in the Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Cherkasy and Vinnytsia regions. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 317 drones overnight, including 105 jet-powered drones. The attacks came after a weekend of strikes that cut power to about 600,000 people in the Dnipropetrovsk region, where hospitals switched to diesel generators and electric transport stopped running in the regional capital, Dnipro, according to regional military chief Oleksandr Hanzha.

Strikes on both sides

Ukraine answered with strikes of its own. Long-range drones started a fire at the KINEF oil refinery near St. Petersburg, more than 1,200 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, Leningrad Gov. Alexander Drozdenko said. Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces also struck a plant near St. Petersburg that makes solid rocket propellant for Russia’s Iskander-M ballistic missiles. Ukraine said in early October that its long-range strikes had knocked out more than half of Russia’s oil refining capacity.

An oil refinery complex with storage tanks and distillation towers at dusk.
An oil refinery complex with storage tanks and distillation towers at dusk.

A Russian strike on Monday also hit a warehouse in Odesa holding food supplies for kindergartens and schools, killing three people, local officials said.

High-voltage transmission pylons and power lines crossing snow-covered ground under a grey winter sky.
High-voltage transmission pylons and power lines crossing snow-covered ground under a grey winter sky.

Talks open Tuesday in Abu Dhabi

The three-way talks between envoys from the United States, Russia and Ukraine are due to start on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi. The last round of three-way talks, in Geneva in February, produced no clear progress toward ending the war, which is now in its fifth year.

President Donald Trump said in a “60 Minutes” interview broadcast on Sunday that Moscow and Kyiv are “very close” to a deal, and that Ukraine would end up with “a little bit different shape” under a settlement. He did not give details.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday that Trump’s team had put “collective security,” covering Russia and Ukraine and a wider area, at the top of the agenda. The talks will look at what security guarantees would satisfy Russia, which sees NATO as a threat, and Ukraine, which wants to block future Russian invasions.

Whether European officials take part is still in dispute. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Sunday that France and other European representatives would be in the United Arab Emirates, but Moscow says the talks are trilateral, with the United States mediating between Russia and Ukraine. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Monday the meeting would focus on trilateral negotiations.

An empty conference hall set up for diplomatic talks, with a long table, microphones and plain flags.
An empty conference hall set up for diplomatic talks, with a long table, microphones and plain flags.

Power restored at Zaporizhzhia plant

Power was restored late on Sunday to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Ukraine’s state nuclear company Energoatom said. The plant, Europe’s largest, had lost its outside power supply, the 16th complete loss of outside power at the site since the start of 2026, Energoatom said. The company said the situation there remains “extremely dangerous” while the plant is under Russian occupation.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that the European Union had agreed to switch on a special emergency mechanism that speeds up funding for repairs to Ukraine’s power grid. In the Zhytomyr region, 140 apartment buildings were left without heating after a Russian strike, Zelenskyy said.

Reporting based on coverage by the Associated Press and RFE/RL.

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