Kiev [Ukraine], December 28: Russia has carried out drone and missile strikes on Ukraine's capital Kiev on the eve of a key meeting between the United States and Ukrainian leaders, killing at least one person and leaving a third of the city without heat, according to local authorities.
Russian ballistic missiles and drones rocked Kiev from the early hours of Saturday morning, where an air alert was in place for nearly 10 hours.
The attacks killed a 47-year-old woman and wounded at least 22 others, according to Kiev's mayor and regional governor. Among those wounded were two children, said the head of Kiev's City military administration, Tymur Tkachenko.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack was "still ongoing" as of 10:45am (08:45 GMT), with some 500 drones and 40 missiles launched targeting "energy facilities and civilian infrastructure". The air raid alert for the capital ended at 11.20am local time (09:20 GMT).
In addition to the casualties, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said there was no heat in one-third of the capital, where temperatures hovered around freezing (0 ​degrees Celsius). Some 320,000 households also lost power in the broader Kiev region, which surrounds the capital but does not include it, Kiev regional governor Mykola Kalashnyk said.
Russian forces are "trying to cut off all Ukrainians from our critical resources just to freeze us", Kiev-based journalist Kristina Zelenyuk told Al Jazeera.
The Russian attack came as Zelensky prepares to meet with United States President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday for further talks on how to end the nearly four-year war.
Zelensky said they plan to discuss security guarantees and questions over future territorial control - the main sticking points in the negotiations.
Moscow demands that Ukraine withdraw from the parts of the eastern Donetsk region that Russian troops have failed to occupy during almost four years of war, as it seeks full control of the Donbas, comprising the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Kiev wants the fighting to be halted at the current lines.
Source:Qatar Tribune