Following a temporary lull in hostilities to accommodate a visit from U.S. representatives, Russia has resumed its airstrikes on Kyiv, resulting in five fatalities and nearly 30 injuries in the latest assaults.
In a related development, U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin engaged in a phone conversation addressing accusations that Russia was conducting sabotage operations in Europe.
On Tuesday, Russian forces intensified their aerial bombardment of Kyiv, employing drones and missiles after a brief cessation. The attacks, which began late Monday night and continued into Tuesday morning, primarily targeted Kyiv and the southern Odesa region, killing five individuals.
Officials reported that the strikes ignited fires in multiple districts of Kyiv, damaging at least 14 high-rise buildings, as well as a dormitory, a school, a clinic, and several warehouses. According to Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko, two fatalities occurred due to a strike on a warehouse. The total casualty count in the city now stands at five, with close to 30 people sustaining injuries. In contrast, Russian officials reported three deaths and 13 injuries in territories under their control.
Residents of Kyiv experienced a sustained barrage of explosions, with reports indicating that the sounds of blasts echoed throughout the city for nearly five hours, as stated by Ivan Vyhivskyi, the Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs. More than 50 locations were reported damaged during the overnight assault, encompassing residential buildings, educational institutions, retail outlets, gas stations, and a flour production facility.
Additionally, a separate attack involving a Russian drone resulted in partial destruction of a building belonging to a Ukrainian television channel, as noted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the strikes as “horrific” and accused President Putin of undermining U.S. efforts for peace. “His ballistic missiles overshadow any diplomatic rhetoric,” Sybiha expressed on social media, emphasizing that continuous strikes on civilian areas do not contribute to any military victory but rather represent indiscriminate terror.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed responsibility for a significant offensive targeting Ukrainian military industrial facilities, providing a detailed list of objectives that included sites housing drones and cruise missiles, as well as logistics centers for military supplies in Kyiv and its surrounding region.
During the weekend, U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff visited both Moscow and Kyiv for discussions with Presidents Putin and Zelenskyy, indicating a renewed effort by the Trump administration to resolve the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which has persisted for over four years. Though the meetings did not yield substantial progress, the Kremlin did not dismiss the possibility of resuming trilateral discussions involving the United States.
The recent cessation of strikes by both sides lasted three days to ensure the safety of U.S. negotiators, after which hostilities resumed. During their call, President Putin reassured President Trump that Russia does not harbor aggressive intentions towards Europe, following accusations from Germany regarding Russian sabotage operations within its borders.
Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, characterized the hour-long conversation with Trump as “constructive and quite frank.” He stated that Russia does not have aggressive plans regarding European nations and also briefed Trump on the situation in Ukraine, outlining Russia’s military objectives.
In other developments, President Zelenskyy expressed his intention to meet with Trump around September 20, coinciding with the UN General Assembly in New York. He plans to urge Trump for additional Patriot missile defense systems to enhance Ukraine’s capabilities against Russian ballistic missiles.
Ukraine’s defense needs include 300 Patriot missiles from allied stocks, 500 air-to-air interceptors, and $2 billion for drones, as noted by UK Defense Secretary Wes Streeting at a recent meeting of supporting nations.
On the same day, the European Commission approved a loan of 3.2 billion euros (approximately $5.1 billion) to assist Kyiv in acquiring components for Patriot air defense systems, as reported by Ukraine’s Defense Ministry via Telegram.
President Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to U.S. officials for their attempts to revive stalled negotiations with Russia, which have made little progress since early this year. He acknowledged that there were indeed several promising and valuable ideas presented by Kushner during discussions on a potential peace package.
