Key facts
- Russia launched ballistic missiles at Kyiv overnight on November 12, hours after the Abu Dhabi talks ended.
- The only tangible result announced after the negotiations was another prisoner exchange.
- Ukraine's Air Force warned of incoming ballistic missiles minutes before the first explosions.
- Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukrainian energy and transportation infrastructure since the heating season began.
Russia launched ballistic missiles at Kyiv overnight on November 12, hours after the second day of U.S.-brokered peace negotiations in Abu Dhabi wrapped up. The talks concluded without a meaningful breakthrough.
Explosions were heard in the city at around 1 a.m., according to Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground. Minutes before the blasts, Ukraine's Air Force warned that Russian ballistic missiles were headed to the region. Less than 30 minutes later, journalists reported another series of loud explosions to the northwest.
Attacks against the city were described as ongoing, and details about precise targets were not yet available. Russia has struck Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities repeatedly, targeting energy and transportation infrastructure since the onset of the heating season.
Ukraine had hoped the Abu Dhabi talks would persuade Russia to de-escalate. The only tangible result announced after the negotiations was another prisoner exchange.