The key facts

  • One person killed in the Leningrad region, seven wounded in Kremenchuk — according to statements by the sides' governors
  • Moscow claims 430 Ukrainian drones downed; Kyiv says 271 of 317 Russian drones were downed
  • Talks in Abu Dhabi begin on Tuesday; previous rounds were held in January–February

Overnight strikes and mutual accusations

Russia and Ukraine traded accusations on Monday after overnight strikes that, according to statements by both sides, killed one person and wounded seven. This came a day before the resumption of US-mediated trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, Anadolu reports.

Statements from the Ukrainian side

Poltava region governor Vitaliy Dyakivnych said on Telegram that in Kremenchuk Russian drones hit a 16-story residential building and a hotel, injuring seven people. He later reported a drone strike on a private property in Hlobyne — with no casualties but a fire in an outbuilding. According to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, rescuers evacuated 15 residents and the fires were extinguished. Cherkasy region governor Ihor Taburets reported damage to critical infrastructure in the regional center with no casualties, while Dnipropetrovsk region governor Oleksandr Khanzha said 23 drones were shot down and a plant in Dnipro and infrastructure in Kamianske were damaged. Ukraine's Air Force reported downing 271 of the 317 drones launched by Russia.

Statements from the Russian side

Russia's Defense Ministry said it struck facilities 'supporting the work of Ukraine's military-industrial complex and armed forces,' including a plant in Hlobyne and substations in the Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Cherkasy and Vinnytsia regions, and said it downed 430 Ukrainian drones over 14 regions and Crimea. Leningrad region governor Alexander Drozdenko said a drone hit the territory of KINEF, an oil refinery in Kirishi, and that the city's heating infrastructure was also damaged; debris from downed drones damaged an apartment in Kirishi and the roof of a house in Vsevolozhsk, where, according to him, one person was killed. The governors of the Rostov and Voronezh regions reported downed drones with no casualties or damage.

Context of the talks

Independent verification of the claims by both sides is difficult due to the ongoing war; both countries deny deliberately striking civilian infrastructure. Talks involving representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the US begin on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi. According to Anadolu, previous US-mediated rounds took place on January 23–24 and February 4–5 in Abu Dhabi and on February 17–18 in Geneva.