Russia launches record missile barrage against Ukraine one day before peace talks set to resume in Abu Dhabi

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Russia carried out a large-scale overnight attack onUkraine’s energy infrastructureusing a record number of ballistic missiles, one day before peace talks with Moscow and Washington are set to resume in Abu Dhabi.

Zelenskyy said the attack involved more than 70 missiles — among them 32 ballistic and 28 cruise — as well as more than 450 attack drones that targeted eight regions, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Sumy, Vinnytsia, Odesa and Zaporizhzhia.

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said five people were injured and three more were rescued in Kharkiv after a drone strike caused a fire in a residential high-rise building.

“The Russian army exploited the U.S.proposal to briefly halt strikes not to support diplomacy, but to stockpile missiles and wait until the coldest days of the year, when temperatures across large parts of Ukraine drop below -20°C (-4°F),” Zelenskyy wrote on X.

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The upper floors of a multi-story building burn after debris from a Russian drone fell in Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb.3, 2026.(Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

The large-scale strikes came after PresidentDonald Trumpsaid Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to pause attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for one week, as freezing temperatures caused widespread power and heating outages.

Trump announced the weeklong pause Thursday, but Russia resumed its attacks several days before the period was set to expire, striking a maternity ward in Zaporizhzhia anda bus of Ukrainian miners, leaving 12 people dead.

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ZELENSKYY ANNOUNCES NEXT ROUND OF TALKS WITH US, RUSSIA AS UKRAINE AIMS FOR ‘REAL AND DIGNIFIED END TO THE WAR

Kyiv residents shelter at the Dorohozhychi subway station during a Russian drone-and-missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb.3, 2026.(Ihor Kuznietsov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

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Residents took to subway and metro stations on Monday to hide underground as air raid alerts sounded throughout the night.

“With temperatures dropping to -25°C (-13°F), Russia knowingly yet again aims to leave hundreds of thousands of people, including children and the elderly,without heating or electricity,” said Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine’s prime minister. 

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“This is an attempt to freeze civilians into surrender.Thanks to Ukraine’sair defense forces, the majority of missiles and drones were intercepted,” she added.

Rescuers extinguish a fire in a multi-story building hit by debris from a Russian drone in Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb.3, 2026.(Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Zelenskyy said the work of his negotiating team will be “adjusted accordingly” as his country prepares for another round of meetings in the United Arab Emirates with U.S.and Russian officials on Wednesday and Thursday.

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U.S.special envoy Steve Witkoff met with his Russian counterpart Kirill Dmitriev in Florida on Saturday and said the discussions were constructive, amid ongoing hostilities in Ukraine.

“We are encouraged by this meeting that Russia is working towardsecuring peacein Ukraine and is grateful for @POTUS’s critical leadership in seeking a durable and lasting peace,” Witkoff wrote on X.