Russia launches major strike on Ukrainian targets amid peace talks

Summarised from 9 outlets · 12 reports · Updated 13 Nov, 23:02 · Archive

Russia carried out overnight drone attacks across Ukraine, hitting military factories and civilian infrastructure, while Ukraine launched nearly 1,200 drones at Russian targets.

Russia's military said on Thursday that it had carried out a massive overnight strike on military factories and infrastructure across Ukraine. The Russian Defence Ministry stated it had hit a rocket factory in Kyiv and a drone assembly workshop and missile fuel factory in the wider Kyiv region, as well as electricity substations in the western Zhytomyr region. The attacks also damaged energy and civilian infrastructure in the north-western Rivne region, according to a local Ukrainian official.

A Russian drone struck a nine-storey residential building in Kyiv's Solomyanskyi district in the early hours of Thursday. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that one woman had been killed and five people injured in the strike, which set the building ablaze. Firefighters battled the flames as rescue workers evacuated residents from the damaged structure.

Russian attacks also struck a hospital in central Kyiv. Three people were injured when a drone hit the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics at 3am, striking the second floor of the building and an adjoining 19th-century structure. Hospital staff evacuated 30 people, with emergency crews rescuing another seven, including people using wheelchairs and crutches.

Drone strikes in other Ukrainian cities caused further casualties. In Odesa, attacks killed at least two people and injured five others, damaging a private house and several vehicles. In Zaporizhzhia in the southeast, a 17-year-old boy was killed and four people wounded when rescuers pulled them from rubble. In the northern region of Sumy, two people were killed in a separate strike. In Rivne in the north-west, five people were injured after a Russian drone hit an apartment building.

Ukraine responded with a major aerial offensive. Ukraine fired almost 1,200 drones at Russian targets overnight, one of its biggest aerial attacks since Moscow's full-scale invasion began nearly five years ago. Russia's Defence Ministry claimed it had shot down a total of 71 Ukrainian drones across Russia overnight, with Moscow's Mayor Sergei Sobyanin saying air defence forces had downed five drones heading for the Russian capital.

Separately, Finnish military confirmed that a Russian warship was attacked in the Gulf of Finland on Wednesday. Ukraine's security service said it targeted the ship Naro-Fominsk as part of a broader drone operation against Russia's Ust-Luga oil export depot on the Baltic coast. The warship is believed to have returned to port in St Petersburg after the attack. The incident is thought to be the first time Ukrainian drones have attacked a Russian ship in an open stretch of the Baltic Sea used by civilian maritime traffic.

These attacks occurred as U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held talks with Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Abu Dhabi this week. The envoys subsequently visited Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Dublin. Kushner said Russia has agreed to include Europe in upcoming peace talks, marking a shift from Moscow's previous insistence that European governments be excluded from negotiations.

How it is being reported

• Agonizing photo shows man slumped over bloodied body of Ukrainian woman killed in Russian strikesRussian strikes killed at least 5 in Ukraine as Zelenskyy claimed SpaceX throttled Starshield during a barrage of nearly 1,200 Ukrainian drones.New York Post · 13 Nov, 22:11
• Ukraine slams Russia with nearly 1,200 drones in one of its biggest aerial attacksUkraine fired almost 1,200 drones at Russian targets overnight in one of its biggest aerial attacks since Moscow’s full-scale invasion nearly five years ago.New York Post · 13 Nov, 16:53
• Russia strikes targets across Ukraine as Kyiv launches nearly 1,200 dronesRussian strikes hit targets across Ukraine on Thursday, with one attack damaging a hospital. Ukraine meanwhile fired almost 1,200 drones at Russian targets overnight in one of its biggest aerial attacks since Moscow’s full-scale invasion nearly five years ago.France 24 · 13 Nov, 15:46
• Why is Ukraine attacking Russian warships in the Baltic Sea amid talks?Finland says Ukraine struck a Russian warship near its coast as Kyiv and Moscow held US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi.Al Jazeera · 13 Nov, 12:06
• Russia strikes hospital in central Kyiv after SpaceX system falters againVolodymyr Zelenskyy says speed restrictions on Starshield system made it harder for Ukraine to shoot down drones Europe live – latest updates Russia has attacked a hospital in the centre of Kyiv, close to several western embassies, after Volodymyr Zelenskyy said speed restrictions on SpaceX’s Starshield system had made it harder for Ukraine to shoot down enemy drones. Three people were injured when a drone smashed into the Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics at 3am, hitting the second floor of the hospital and an adjoining 19th-century building. Continue reading...Guardian World · 13 Nov, 11:24
• Ukraine: Russian drone attacks hit Kyiv hospital, leave one dead in OdesaRussian overnight attacks on Ukraine killed at least one person in Odesa and injured another at a hospital in Kyiv. Rescuers evacuated patients, including people using wheelchairs and crutches, as firefighters battled the flames.Euronews · 13 Nov, 10:46
• Russian warship hit by Ukranian drones for first time in Gulf of FinlandUkraine’s security service, the SBU, said it targeted the ship Naro-Fominsk during a wider drone strike against a Kremlin oil export depot in the Baltic Sea (Picture: AK Bars/e2w) A Russian warship has been attacked in the Gulf of Finland , forcing it to turn back and return to port. Ukraine ’s…Metro · 13 Nov, 10:00
• Man weeps over the body of loved one killed by Putin drone as Ukraine is blitzed by latest wave of Russian dronesSeveral people were killed overnight as Russia launched its latest wave of drone attacks across Ukraine.Daily Mail · 13 Nov, 09:32
• Ukrainian drone strikes hit Russian data centers across six regions — forcing companies into Kazakhstan as Putin orders emergency capacity seizureRussian businesses are exploring overseas data centers as Ukrainian drone strikes, limited domestic cloud capacity, and new government requirements complicate infrastructure planning.TechRadar · 13 Nov, 00:30
• Russian warship hit by Ukrainian drone in Gulf of FinlandThe attack is thought to be the first time Ukrainian drones have attacked a Russian ship in an open stretch of the Baltic Sea.BBC News · 12 Nov, 20:09
• Ukraine: Russian drone attack sparks major fire in Kyiv residential buildingA Russian drone strike sparked a major fire at an apartment building in Kyiv, Ukraine, early on Thursday. Residents fled to safety as firefighters battled the flames and rescue workers helped people at the scene.Euronews · 12 Nov, 14:26
• Russia says it launched a massive overnight strike on Ukrainian military factoriesRussia's military said on Thursday that it had carried out a massive overnight strike on military factories across Ukraine, including Kyiv, where the mayor said a Russian drone had struck an apartment block.New York Post · 12 Nov, 10:16

In this story: Russia · Ukraine · Kyiv · Volodymyr Zelenskyy · Vladimir Putin · Vitali Klitschko · Odesa · Gulf of Finland

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