Russia launched a fresh barrage of missile and drone attacks on Kyiv early Tuesday, just a day after US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited the region as part of Washington’s efforts to revive stalled peace negotiations.
Explosions were heard across the Ukrainian capital in the early hours, with Ukrainian authorities reporting that the assault involved ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones.
Kyiv officials said six people were wounded in the attacks, while residential buildings and other facilities were damaged. Fires were also reported at several locations across the city.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko earlier said residents had been trapped inside a residential building following the strikes.
He also reported fires at various sites, including an educational institution.
The scale of the attack prompted neighbouring Poland to deploy military aircraft to protect its airspace, according to Reuters, citing the Polish armed forces.
The strikes came shortly after Witkoff and Kushner concluded a diplomatic mission aimed at advancing efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Witkoff and Kushner travelled to Kyiv on Sunday for talks with Ukrainian officials, following meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow the previous day.
“Substantive progress was made, including movement on scheduling additional trilateral talks,” Witkoff said on X following the discussions.
However, no major breakthrough was announced after the meetings.
Russia and Ukraine had agreed to suspend attacks on each other’s capitals during the weekend of diplomatic engagements.
The temporary 72-hour halt expired on Tuesday, paving the way for the latest Russian assault on Kyiv.
The latest bombardment follows weeks of heavy Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital. On Friday, Russia struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s Security Service in central Kyiv in a daytime attack, marking the first reported strike on the building during the war.
The attack was viewed as a significant escalation and highlighted concerns over Kyiv’s ability to protect critical infrastructure amid shortages of interceptor missiles.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has intensified its own aerial campaign against Russian targets, including facilities located deep inside Russian territory.
On Tuesday, the governor of Saratov, a Russian city, said a Ukrainian drone attack had struck civilian infrastructure and wounded several people, Reuters reported.
The situation remains developing as authorities continue to assess the extent of the damage and casualties from the latest attacks.
