Russia targets Kyiv as Finnish, Norwegian leaders hold rare call with Putin

What the report says

Russia carried out another large overnight attack on Kyiv, with Ukrainian officials saying the South Bridge was among the targets and that the assault involved 16 ballistic missiles and more than 280 drones. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said emergency crews were still responding when further strikes hit, calling it a major escalation against Ukraine’s logistics network. Separate Russian attacks were also reported in Kharkiv, Pavlohrad, and elsewhere, while Russian officials said they had hit transport and industrial sites they described as linked to military activity.

The strikes came as diplomatic efforts around the war intensified. Finland’s President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store held a rare phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin from Helsinki, then spoke with Zelenskyy. According to their governments, the discussion focused on future negotiations and the need to reduce attacks on energy and infrastructure. Zelenskyy later said the leaders had urged real steps toward de-escalation and preparations for upcoming talks.

The contacts follow a renewed US-backed push to restart negotiations. Kyiv and Moscow said last week they had agreed to technical meetings in Abu Dhabi in early November. The Finnish and Norwegian leaders said their call with Putin was meant to support that process, while noting they were speaking for their own countries. Most Western European leaders have avoided direct contact with Putin since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.