Ukraine Reels From Russian Air Attacks And Corruption Scandal Ahead Of Peace Talks

This article was originally published in Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). Read the original article.

Key Points:

Russia launched a series of massive air attacks on Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands with the country already reeling from a political scandal that has reached the upper echelons of power.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow launched "about 36 missiles and almost 600 drones against ordinary life" in Ukraine on November 29, the latest volley aimed at knocking out energy infrastructure as temperatures begin to plunge.

The attacks, which come amid intense talks over a controversial US-led peace proposal, killed at least three people and wounded dozens of others, Zelenskyy said.

"We must work without wasting a single day to ensure that there are enough missiles for our air defense systems, and that everything necessary for our protection and for pressure on Russia is in place," he said.

"It is time Europe made a decision on the frozen assets if Moscow refuses to end its drone and missile strikes. And we must certainly discuss with all partners the steps needed to bring this war to an end. "

Ukraine has also been on the offensive in the face of the attacks, launching its own strikes inside Russian territory on installations it says are part of Moscow's "war machine."

Ukraine's military said it hit the Afipsky oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar region early on November 29, as well as the Beriev military aviation plant in the Rostov region.

Regional authorities in the Krasnodar region said falling drone debris sparked a fire at the refinery, but it was subsequently extinguished. No casualties were reported.

See Also: Massive Russian Air Strike On Kyiv Kills At Least 6, Injures Dozens

Russia's massive overnight attack also comes after a tumultuous week that culminated in the resignation of Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy's highly influential chief of staff, hours after the country's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) conducted searches in his office.

The raids were part of a corruption scandal involving the alleged siphoning off of tens of millions of dollars of funds meant for the country's vulnerable energy infrastructure.

Several influential individuals with links to Zelenskyy have been implicated in the scheme, though the president himself has not been directly implicated.

Ever since the scandal broke, several Ukrainian lawmakers, including from Zelenskyy's own "Servant of the People" political faction had called for Yermak, the head of the delegation in negotiations with the United States regarding ending the war, to step down.

Yermak has also not been directly accused of wrongdoing, and said during the raids that investigators had been given "full access" to his apartment and that he was providing his "full cooperation."

White House envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow next week amid accelerating efforts to cement the US-backed peace proposal that many Ukrainians -- and European leaders -- are wary of.

Witkoff, a real estate developer with no diplomatic background whom Trump has charged with leading efforts to find an end to Russia's war, is expected to meet with Vladimir Putin on the trip, his sixth meeting with the Russian president since January.

Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has been rumored to be part of the delegation.

The trip follows days of swirling negotiations between US, Ukrainian, and Russian officials in Kyiv, Geneva, and Abu Dhabi that were sparked by the leak of the American plan last week.

The initial 28-point version echoes the hard-line positions Russia has taken since at least the launch of its all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

See Also: Deadly Russian Strike Hits Ukraine's Kharkiv As Zelenskyy Heads To Paris In Plea For Weapons

That alarmed Ukrainian officials -- and reportedly angered Zelenskyy -- who then held their own bilateral talks with US officials.

The resulting "refined" 19-point plan still leaves several key issues on the table, including the fate of a chunk of Ukraine's Donetsk region that the Kremlin has been hellbent on seizing.

Other pitfalls include the Kremlin's insistence that Ukraine be forever barred from joining NATO and a potential cap on the size of Kyiv's military.

Zelenskyy said on November 29 that Rustem Umerov, a former defense minister who is now secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council and a member of Kyiv's negotiating team, was on his way to Washington to continue to iron out details of any potential settlement.

"The task is clear - to promptly and meaningfully prepare a definition of steps to end the war. Ukraine continues to work as constructively as possible with America," he said in a post on social media.

Copyright (c)2025 RFE/RL, Inc. Used with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 

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