While trilateral negotiations were underway in Abu Dhabi on January 23 to 24, 2026, Russia launched what Ukrainian officials described as a “barbaric” and “cynical” wave of attacks across the country, firing nearly 400 drones and missiles overnight into the second day of talks.
Russia targets Ukraine’s power grid amid sub-zero temperatures
The strikes included hypersonic and ballistic missiles targeting major cities like Kyiv and Kharkiv, deliberately hitting Ukraine’s power grid during sub-zero temperatures and knocking out electricity for over 1.2million buildings nationwide. As temperatures dropped to -12°C (10°F), approximately 6,000 apartment blocks in Kyiv lost heating.
In Kyiv, falling debris damaged buildings and caused fires, killing at least one person and wounding several others. In Kharkiv, a maternity hospital and a dormitory for displaced people were hit, resulting in 11 injuries. Just days after the trilateral summit in Abu Dhabi concluded, a Russian drone strike targeted a passenger train carrying over 200 people in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region on January 27, killing at least five people, according to Euronews.
Ukraine condemns attacks as underlined negotiation bad faith
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that Putin’s missiles hit “not only our people, but also the negotiation table,” arguing that such actions prove Putin belongs in a tribunal rather than at a “board of peace.” President Zelenskyy emphasized that these strikes proved there must be “no delays” in supplying air defense systems like Patriot and NASAMS.
Despite the ongoing bombardment, the Kremlin maintained that its demand for Ukraine to withdraw from the Donbas region remains a “very important condition” for any peace deal.
Ukraine retaliates with strikes on Russian border town and refinery
On the same Saturday, Russian officials reported a “massive shelling” of the border town of Belgorod by Ukrainian forces, which damaged energy infrastructure but caused no casualties. Ukraine also targeted a Russian oil refinery in the Krasnodar region that reportedly supplies the Russian military.
The next round of trilateral negotiations is still expected to proceed on Feb 1, 2026, despite this significant escalation.
Read also:
European Parliament approves landmark €90b Ukraine loan
Ukraine-Russia-US Trilateral Summit
Ukraine and US agreed on post-war security guarantees at Davos
Zelenskyy meets “Coalition of the Willing” in Paris
