Russia strikes Kyiv after US envoys leave, killing 2
Photo: REUTERS
Russian forces unleashed a torrent of drones and missiles upon Kyiv, restarting their relentless airstrikes after a temporary lull during a visit by US peace negotiators on Tuesday morning.
The assault claimed the lives of two people and ignited multiple blazes across the Ukrainian capital. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that the bombardment injured 10 additional individuals.
In one city district, tumbling wreckage sparked fires in a five-story apartment building and a three-story residential block. Officials reported that the falling debris and blasts damaged at least 14 high-rise buildings, a dormitory, a school, a medical clinic, warehouses, and several other locations.
The strikes resumed almost immediately after US peace envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff departed from Kyiv following their Sunday meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The visits come as the Trump administration intensifies its efforts to broker an end to the 4-1/2-year-long war in Ukraine. Before arriving in the Ukrainian capital, the American envoys held discussions in Moscow. Following those talks, the Kremlin announced that it would not rule out restarting three-way negotiations.
However, the diplomatic gesture quickly gave way to violence. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha posted on the social media platform X, “The moment the US president’s peace envoys left, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin launched another massive, horrific attack against Kyiv.”
Expressing frustration over the timing of the assault, Sybiha remarked, “His ballistic missiles speak louder than his words on diplomacy.” Foreign Minister strongly implored Ukraine’s allies to intensify their pressure on Moscow.
He also urged them to supply interceptors capable of shooting down ballistic missiles, pointing out that Kyiv’s own stockpiles of these defensive weapons have dwindled to critically low levels. Prior to these peace talks, Russia had actually escalated its aerial bombardment of Kyiv and surrounding territories.
For several days, Russian forces conducted nearly non-stop, round-the-clock raids - shifting away from their typical nighttime patterns - by deploying swifter, jet-propelled drones that killed local citizens and paralyzed daily routines.
Meanwhile, according to Russian state newswires, the Russian Defense Ministry asserted that its forces successfully struck military and logistics targets inside Kyiv, its surrounding region, and the Black Sea port of Chornomorsk.
As explosions reverberated throughout Kyiv, the Polish military initiated defensive, preventive maneuvers to guard against any Russian missiles heading toward its territory. Poland, which holds membership in both NATO and the European Union, shares a border with Ukraine.
Due to these active military operations, authorities at Lublin Airport in Poland temporarily halted all incoming and outgoing flights. Concurrently, Ukrainian forces launched retaliatory drone strikes deep inside Russia.
The regional governor of the Saratov region reported that Ukrainian drones caused injuries to civilians and damaged local infrastructure in Saratov, a city situated along the Volga River about 730 kilometers (450 miles) southeast of Moscow.
This targeted Russian region contains key industrial and military installations, including a massive oil refinery operated by the state-owned oil giant Rosneft.
Source: Reuters (adapted)
