One million households without electricity in Ukraine after Russian strikes

More than a million households are without power in Ukraine after a barrage of Russian air strikes overnight hit energy and industry infrastructure, officials said.

Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs, Ihor Klimenko, said that five areas were bombed and at least five people were injured, and that work was underway to extinguish the fires and restore supplies.

While Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure have been common throughout the war, Moscow has intensified its strikes as the country heads into winter.

This comes as US President Donald Trump’s foreign envoy travels to Germany this weekend to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders for further talks on ending the war.

Steve Witkoff, who is leading the White House’s attempts to mediate between Ukraine and Russia, will discuss the latest version of the proposed peace deal in Berlin.

Zelensky said on Saturday that Russia used more than 450 drones and 30 missiles in the night strikes. Klimenko said that the Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Odessa and Chernihiv regions were bombed.

The Russian Defense Ministry said it used weapons including hypersonic Kinzhal missiles in the strikes – which are difficult to track because they can change direction mid-flight.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine temporarily lost all off-site power overnight “due to large-scale military activities affecting the electrical grid”, but has now been reconnected, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.

The factory is located in Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine. It does not operate, but relies on a constant power source to cool its reactors.

In Russia, regional governor Roman Busargin said that two people were killed in Saratov after a drone strike hit a residential building.

The Trump administration is pushing for a deal to end the war by Christmas and has held several rounds of talks with Ukrainian and Russian representatives in recent weeks, although there is little sign of an imminent breakthrough.

It has not yet been confirmed which European leaders will attend the Berlin talks.

The Wall Street Journal, which was the first to publish details of the meeting, said that British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will all participate.

The Witkov-Zelensky meeting comes after Ukraine gave the United States its revised version of the 20-point peace plan, the latest version of a proposal that first emerged in late November and sparked a flurry of diplomatic activity.

The fate of the territories in eastern Ukraine remains one of the most difficult topics in the negotiations, as Kiev refuses to give up the territories that were illegally occupied, and Moscow reiterates its intention to seize the entire Donbass region by force unless Ukraine withdraws.

Zelensky did There was a skeptical reaction to the White House’s latest proposal Regarding the solution to the regional issue, which is the withdrawal of the Ukrainian army from the region and its transformation into a “special economic zone.”

The Ukrainian president told reporters that under the conditions proposed by the United States, the Kremlin would pledge not to advance in the areas vacated by Ukrainian forces, while turning the land between Russian-controlled parts of Donbass and Ukrainian defensive lines into a demilitarized zone.

“What will restrain [Russia] Of progress? Or from infiltration disguised as civilians?” Zelensky said.

Publicly, Ukraine and its allies in Europe have described the US-led talks as productive and praised progress in securing amendments to the plan that was widely seen as favoring Russia when it first emerged.

But there have been signs in recent weeks that Trump is running out of patience with Zelensky and his supporters on the continent.

In a A scathing interview with Politico earlier this weekThe US President described European leaders as “weak” and renewed his call for Ukraine to hold elections.

Zelensky said elections could be held within 90 days if the United States and Europe provide the necessary security. The election has been suspended since martial law was declared when Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

As the White House’s diplomatic efforts continue, attention in Europe is focused on how to support Ukraine in the event of a peace agreement, with talks continuing on security guarantees and financing.

The Ukrainian government faces a difficult financial situation: it needs to find an additional €135.7bn (£119bn; $159bn) over the next two years.

On Friday, European Union countries It agreed to freeze about 210 billion euros (£185 billion; $247) of Russian assets indefinitely. Held in Europe.

It is hoped the agreement will pave the way for money to be loaned back to Ukraine if an agreement can be reached at an EU summit next week, providing Kiev with financial aid for its military and efforts to rebuild parts of the country devastated after nearly four years of all-out war.

The Kremlin condemned the move as theft, and Russia’s central bank said it would sue Euroclear, a Belgian bank that holds the vast majority of Russian assets frozen after the invasion.

Officials are still negotiating the exact structure of a deal to repurpose Russian assets on behalf of Ukraine, with the Belgian government in particular skeptical because of its legal exposure as the main owner.

Elsewhere, it was reported that the latest version of the peace plan circulating envisages Ukraine quickly joining the European Union.

The Financial Times said that Brussels supports Ukraine’s rapid accession to the bloc, an idea proposed by Ukraine in the latest draft submitted to Washington.

Ukraine formally applied to join the European Union days after the 2022 invasion, but despite promises of an accelerated process, it still has several years to go before it becomes a member.

Under the plan, Ukraine will become a member in January 2027, Agence France-Presse reported, citing an unnamed senior official. It was not clear whether Washington had agreed to this element of the draft.