Russia hits Ukraine with 162 drones as Abu Dhabi talks open

Russia attacked Ukraine overnight into Tuesday, November 10, with one Iskander-M ballistic missile and 162 attack and decoy drones, Ukraine's Air Force said. Ukrainian air defenses shot down or jammed 135 of the drones, Ukrinform reported. The strikes landed hours before U.S.-mediated trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States opened in Abu Dhabi.ukrinform.net

The attack started at 18:00 on Monday, November 9. Russia sent Shahed-type drones, 96 of them jet-powered, along with Gerbera attack drones and Parodiya decoys. They were launched from the Bryansk, Oryol, Shatalovo and Millerovo areas in Russia and from Hvardiiske in occupied Crimea. The Iskander-M was fired from the Millerovo area.ukrinform.net

Hits at 19 locations

Ukraine's preliminary figures as of 07:30 showed that 70 of the 135 drones downed were jet-powered Shaheds. Missiles and drones hit 19 locations, and debris from intercepted targets fell at nine others. Several drones were still in the air after that update, and combat operations were ongoing.pravda.com.ua

Two people were killed in Ladyzhyn, in the Vinnytsia region, when Russian forces hit a civilian company there. Regional head Natalia Zabolotna said energy infrastructure was also damaged. A three-day mourning period has been declared in the local community. In Pereiaslav, in the Kyiv region, a strike damaged a municipal building that houses people needing special care. Two people were injured and all residents were evacuated. A drone strike on an energy facility in the Poltava district disrupted power and water in the regional capital.news.az+1

Grid operator Ukrenergo said Russia hit energy facilities in eight regions overnight and into the morning: Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy and Kirovohrad. Power outages were reported in six regions.ukrinform.net

Strikes ahead of talks

This was a smaller wave than the one the night before. On November 9, Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 317 drones, including 105 jet-powered ones, while Ukrainian drones set fire to the KINEF oil refinery near St. Petersburg. Earlier in the month, a Russian barrage of 289 drones and dozens of missiles caused blackouts across Kyiv and at least six other regions.local10.com+1

Rustem Umerov, who leads Ukraine's delegation, said the Abu Dhabi talks are scheduled for November 10–11 and have now started. He said the agenda covers "key issues related to ending hostilities and bringing peace closer". Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said European officials would not take part because the format was agreed as three-way.ukrinform.net+1