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Russia attacked Kyiv with ballistic missiles just hours after peace talks in Abu Dhabi

Raluca Ioana Draghici

12 November 2026, 05:52

International

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Russia launched a large-scale attack on Kyiv on Wednesday night into Thursday, a few hours after the conclusion of the second round of peace negotiations mediated by the United States in Abu Dhabi. Ukraine's Air Force warned that Russian ballistic missiles were heading toward the capital region.

Powerful explosions were heard in several areas of the city at around 1:00 a.m. local time. Approximately 30 minutes later, witnesses reported a new series of blasts in the northwestern part of Kyiv. The attack was ongoing at the time of writing.

Ukrainian authorities have not yet provided details about the targets hit, the extent of the damage, or any possible casualties. What is notable is that the attack took place immediately after the peace talks concluded, which did not result in a ceasefire agreement.

In recent weeks, Russia has repeatedly attacked Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, particularly targeting energy and transport infrastructure.

The only concrete result announced after the negotiations in Abu Dhabi was another prisoner exchange.

Context: waves of ballistic missiles over Kyiv and signals about the resumption of trilateral negotiations

Before the attack on Wednesday night into Thursday, Russia struck Kyiv several times. In a Friday night attack, several waves of ballistic missiles were reported to have occurred a few hours after Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia was preparing a large-scale attack on infrastructure: at least five people were injured in the capital, including a 14-year-old girl, and a kindergarten was damaged.

In other earlier episodes, Russian attacks targeted residential and non-residential buildings, causing casualties and damage: in one previous case, a ballistic missile attack on Kyiv was followed by the deaths of at least 12 people and the injury of another 32. Separately, Moscow said it was prepared, “in principle,” to resume trilateral negotiations with Ukraine and the United States, but the talks would not take place until around November 10, while Kyiv called for their resumption as soon as possible and proposed freezing the front line as a first step.