Russia Resumes Kyiv Strikes After Three-Day Pause for U.S. Envoys; At Least Two Dead

Russia struck Kyiv with drones and missiles early Tuesday, ending a three-day halt in attacks on the Ukrainian capital that Moscow announced while President Donald Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, traveled from Moscow to Kyiv. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko and city officials said at least two people were killed and at least 10 were injured. Fires broke out in multiple districts. Officials reported damage at more than a dozen civilian sites, including high-rise apartment buildings, a dormitory, a school, a clinic, and warehouses. Ukrainian air defenses were active as ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and jet-powered drones came in. The State Emergency Service also reported drone strikes in the Boryspil and Fastiv districts of Kyiv region, including fires at industrial and logistics sites. Reuters later cited Klitschko as saying three people were killed; other official tallies remained at two in the city proper. Air alerts were reported in about a dozen Ukrainian regions.

The pause covered strikes on Kyiv and, on Ukraine’s side, a reduction in strikes on Moscow while the American delegation was in the region. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin ordered no strikes on Kyiv for three days tied to the visit. Russia’s state news agency TASS said that suspension expired Monday evening local time. Witkoff and Kushner met Russian officials in Moscow on Saturday, then Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday, and left the capital that day. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X: “The moment the U.S. president’s peace envoys left, Putin launched another massive, horrific attack against Kyiv.” He added that ballistic missiles “speak louder than his words on diplomacy” and asked allies for more interceptor missiles. Zelensky called the raid a “complex strike.” EU Ambassador Katarina Mathernova said, “Kyiv was exploding and burning.” The halt did not cover the rest of Ukraine or a full ceasefire along the front. Fighting continued elsewhere during the three days.

Witkoff said after the trip that the talks were “meaningful” and that there was movement toward additional trilateral discussions. Kushner said the United States had put forward “new ideas” without detailing them. The Kremlin said it did not rule out a resumption of three-way talks. No ceasefire or territorial deal was announced. Trump has said he dispatched the pair with “an idea for peace.” Ukraine has asked for more air-defense interceptors as stocks run low. Russia has continued long-range strikes on Ukrainian cities outside the brief capital-to-capital pause. Tuesday’s barrage is the first large attack on Kyiv since the envoys left.