LONDON -- Russia launched an unusually large drone attack on Ukraine overnight into Tuesday, shortly before Moscow's representatives opened talks with a U.S. delegation in Saudi Arabia on ending Russia's three-year full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Russia launched ballistic missiles and more than 100 drones in a wave of attacks across Ukraine overnight that killed three people and injured at least 16, including a child, authorities said.

Russian missile attacks on state-owned natural gas assets in Ukraine have forced the country to buy expensive replacement fuel from the European Union, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

According to the Air Force, six of the seven missiles that targeted the cities of Kyiv and Kryvyi Rih were intercepted by air defenses. Ukrainian forces also reportedly shot down 71 drones over 11 oblasts,

Russia's early morning missile attack on Kyiv killed at least one civilian and sparked several fires throughout the city, Ukrainian officials said.

As U.S. and Russian officials prepare for crucial talks on the war in Ukraine, Kyiv has been notably excluded—while Moscow continues its relentless military strikes. Just hours before U.S.-Russia negotiations were set to begin in Riyadh,