Ukraine Energy Strike: 289 Drones Target Grid Ahead of Peace Talks

Russian forces launched 289 attack drones in a single overnight barrage that struck energy infrastructure across nine regions of Ukraine. The massive wave of missiles and drones occurred just days before U.S.-brokered peace talks are scheduled to begin in Abu Dhabi.

The strike on the energy grid resulted in immediate operational halts for three power plants operated by DTEK, a major Ukrainian utility. The company reported that the plants stopped functioning due to intense damage, with no personnel injured in the specific attacks on those sites. This loss of generation capacity has forced rolling blackouts in the south, west, and east of Russian-occupied Crimea, according to Moscow-installed officials.

The heaviest civilian loss came from a targeted attack on an aid facility and shelter in the village of Komyshuvakha in the Zaporizhzhia region. At least 31 people were killed in the blast, while more than 45 residents remain missing. Emergency teams and volunteers spent Tuesday picking through the cratered debris site to recover bodies. Acting regional military head Mykhailo Semikin described the event as one of the worst tragedies in the region since the full-scale war began.

The attack on Komyshuvakha utilized Russian bunker-busting bombs containing nearly 1.5 tons of explosives. Three days of mourning have been declared for the Zaporizhzhia region. The confirmed dead included four police officers and two rescue workers. In the northeast Kharkiv region, a combined missile and drone attack wounded at least 62 people and damaged a medical facility in the Nemyshlianskyi district. Over 200 patients were transferred to other hospitals to accommodate the damage.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the barrage coincided with U.S. elections. He stated that Russia believes America will not notice the signal, but Ukraine must stop the terror and defend its skies. Zelenskyy traveled to Germany on Tuesday to hold consultations with European leaders ahead of the upcoming diplomatic meetings.

The next round of U.S.-mediated talks is set for November 10 and 11 in Abu Dhabi. Steve Witkoff, the special envoy for U.S. President Donald Trump, confirmed the dates late Monday. The negotiations will focus on postwar security arrangements, de-escalation, and humanitarian efforts. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a Russian delegation will attend, marking the first such three-way talks since February.

Ukraine’s energy ministry reported that Moscow carried out 20 strikes on energy infrastructure in 10 regions overnight. These attacks have caused extensive damage and electricity outages ahead of the winter season. Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed it shot down 856 Ukrainian drones during the same period.

Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 493 drones were fired toward the Russian capital. A separate Ukrainian drone attack wounded two employees at an oil refinery in Yaroslavl and damaged the site's infrastructure. The European Commission is hosting a meeting on Wednesday with officials from France, Germany, the UK, the EU, NATO, Ukraine, the U.S., and the World Bank to discuss postwar reconstruction.

The European Commission spokeswoman Paula Pinho did not specify whether Zelenskyy would attend that Wednesday meeting. The diplomatic activity continues as both sides manage the economic and physical costs of the ongoing conflict and energy strikes.