Russia hits Kyiv with ballistic missiles after Abu Dhabi talks end
Explosions rocked Kyiv for about 30 minutes early on Thursday, hours after a second round of US-brokered Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi ended without a breakthrough.
Russia fired at Kyiv early on Thursday, hours after a second round of US-brokered peace talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States ended in Abu Dhabi without a breakthrough, the Kyiv Independent reported.
Ukraine's air force warned that Russian ballistic missiles were heading toward the Kyiv region shortly before explosions were heard in the capital at around 1am local time, Kyiv Independent journalists reported from the scene. About 30 minutes later, witnesses reported a second series of loud explosions in the northwest of the city.
Attacks on the capital were continuing as of early Thursday morning, and Ukrainian authorities had not yet given details of targets, damage or casualties, the Kyiv Independent reported.
The Abu Dhabi talks, which ran for two days, ended without agreement on a ceasefire, the status of the region or security guarantees for Ukraine, Romanian outlet Adevărul reported. The only concrete outcome announced was an agreement in principle on a large prisoner exchange: Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation, confirmed the deal, while US negotiator Jared Kushner spoke of what could become the largest such humanitarian exchange to date, though the number of people to be released has not been finalised.
Russian general Alexander Zorin said the exchange could take two to three weeks to carry out once procedures are clarified, Adevărul reported. Ahead of the talks, proposals had circulated for a swap of 1,000 prisoners for 1,000, or as many as 1,500 for 1,500, the outlet said.
President Vladimir Putin is seeking territorial concessions in Ukraine along with guarantees that Kyiv will be excluded from NATO, limits on Western military deployments in eastern Europe and the withdrawal of alliance infrastructure installed in the region since 1997, Adevărul reported, citing Politico and Ukrinform. Moscow is also trying to bring a wider discussion of European security arrangements into the negotiations, the outlets said.
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What we know
- 2+ outlets · Kyiv Independent, Mediafax +1 Russia fired ballistic missiles at Kyiv early on Thursday, hours after a second round of US-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi ended, the Kyiv Independent reported.
- 2+ outlets · Kyiv Independent, Adevarul Explosions were heard in the capital at about 1am local time, followed by a second series of blasts in the northwest of the city about 30 minutes later.
- 2+ outlets · Kyiv Independent, Mediafax Attacks on Kyiv were continuing as of Thursday morning; no casualties or damage had been confirmed.
- 1 outlet · Adevarul The Abu Dhabi talks ended without a ceasefire or progress on the Donbas or security guarantees; the only concrete result was an agreement in principle on a large prisoner exchange.
- 1 outlet · Adevarul Russia's Vladimir Medinsky and US negotiator Jared Kushner both confirmed the prisoner-exchange agreement, though the number to be released has not been finalised.
Not yet confirmed
- Unconfirmed The targets, extent of damage and any casualties from the missile strikes on Kyiv.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Why it matters for Europe
Russia has repeatedly struck Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities' energy and transport infrastructure since the start of the heating season, and Thursday's missile strikes came within hours of the Abu Dhabi talks concluding, showing Moscow is continuing military operations even as negotiations continue. Ukraine had hoped the talks would persuade Russia to scale back its attacks; the only tangible result announced was the prisoner-exchange agreement, the Kyiv Independent reported.
Sources
Reported by 4 reports from 4 independent outlets in 2 countries.
- The Kyiv Independent: Russia attacks Kyiv with ballistic missiles hours after peace talks end
- Mediafax: Rușii au atacat Kievul cu rachete balistice la câteva ore după încheierea discuțiilor de pace
- G4Media: Rușii au atacat Kievul cu rachete la câteva ore după încheierea discuțiilor de pace / Atacurile asupra orașului continuă
- Adevărul: Rusia a atacat Kievul cu rachete balistice, la câteva ore după negocierile de pace. Ce a cerut Putin la discuțiile cu americanii
Source balance
PremiumSee how the 4 outlets behind this story spread from left to right, and which are official or OSINT sources.
Intelligence file
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Questions and answers
- What happened in Kyiv?
- Russia fired ballistic missiles at the city early on Thursday, with explosions heard around 1am and again roughly 30 minutes later, the Kyiv Independent reported.
- Was anyone hurt?
- Ukrainian authorities had not given details of casualties or damage as of Thursday morning, the Kyiv Independent reported.
- What came out of the Abu Dhabi peace talks?
- The talks ended without a ceasefire or progress on the Donbas or security guarantees, though both sides agreed in principle on a large prisoner exchange, Adevărul reported.
This article was written with AI assistance from 4 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.