Updated Dec. 6, 2025 — Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone assault against Ukraine overnight into Saturday, striking across the country as U.S. and Ukrainian officials prepared for a third day of talks aimed at ending the nearly four-year war. Ukraine’s air force said the barrage involved 653 drones and 51 missiles.
Ukrainian forces reported shooting down or otherwise neutralizing 585 drones and 30 missiles, but the air force said 29 locations were hit. Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said at least eight people were wounded, including three in the Kyiv region. Drone activity was reported as far west as Lviv.
Ukrenergo, Ukraine’s national energy operator, said the attacks targeted power stations and other energy infrastructure across multiple regions. The International Atomic Energy Agency reported that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant temporarily lost all off‑site power overnight. The plant, held by Russian forces and not in service, requires reliable electricity to cool six shut‑down reactors and stored fuel, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said energy facilities were primary targets. He also reported that a drone strike burned down the Fastiv train station in the Kyiv region.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses downed 116 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory. A Russian Telegram channel, Astra, posted footage it said showed a fire at the Ryazan oil refinery after a Ukrainian strike; The Associated Press could not independently verify the video. Ryazan regional governor Pavel Malkov reported a residential building damaged by a drone and debris falling on an industrial facility but did not explicitly confirm a refinery hit.
Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian refineries in recent months have aimed to curb Moscow’s oil export revenues. Ukrainian and Western officials say Russia is seeking to cripple Ukraine’s power grid and deprive civilians of heat, light and water through the winter — a tactic Kyiv describes as “weaponizing” the cold.
The barrage came as advisers to former President Donald Trump met in Florida with Ukrainian negotiators on a U.S.-mediated peace proposal. After Friday’s sessions, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and Ukrainian negotiators Rustem Umerov and Andriy Hnatov said progress had been made on a security framework but stressed any lasting agreement depends on Russia’s willingness to commit to long-term peace.
Ukrainian officials said they plan to brief Zelenskyy on the Florida discussions Monday. A senior U.S. official said talks would continue Sunday; a Ukrainian official said further contact would likely need to be conducted online because of the Monday briefing.
Margaret Brennan contributed to this report.