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Russia Strikes Kyiv as Three-Day Ceasefire Expires — AI-generated representative image: A damaged residential building in Kyiv following renewed air strikes after a temporary ceasefire expired.

Editorial Team

Deadly drone raids resume after US envoy visits fail to secure a lasting Ukraine ceasefire

Russia launched air raids on Kyiv early Tuesday, killing at least two people and wounding seven, after a three-day pause in strikes on the Ukrainian and Russian capitals expired. The attacks came just after two US envoys concluded visits to Moscow and Kyiv that produced no tangible progress toward ending the war.

The renewed strikes underscore the fragility of the temporary ceasefire and the limited results of Washington's latest diplomatic push. The pause had applied only to capital cities, while fighting continued elsewhere, leaving civilians exposed to renewed attacks as soon as the suspension lapsed.

Resumed Strikes and Damage

Two residential buildings were damaged in Kyiv during the early morning raids, according to city officials. Drones also struck buildings in the Boryspil and Fastiv districts on the capital's outskirts, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported.

The Kyiv city military administration issued an air raid alert urging residents to take shelter from an "enemy" drone attack. Following the strikes in Ukraine, Russian regional Governor Roman Busargin said a Ukrainian drone attack injured several people after hitting civilian infrastructure in Saratov, roughly 1000km (621 miles) from Moscow. The casualty count there remains unconfirmed.

Background of the Temporary Pause

Russia and Ukraine pledged to halt strikes on each other's capitals for three days as Washington dispatched envoys to Moscow and Kyiv. The suspension was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during weekend visits by US President Donald Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Russia's state news agency TASS confirmed that the three-day suspension Putin ordered for his forces expired on Monday evening local time. The war began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Diplomatic Talks and Official Statements

Witkoff and Kushner held talks with officials in both capitals regarding the conflict. Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov described the more than three-hour meeting in Moscow on Saturday as "highly useful."

After meeting Zelenskyy, Witkoff said: "We've had a very meaningful discussion, substantive, important, and we are very encouraged, and we look forward to continuing this as long as it takes." He also raised the prospect of reviving three-way negotiations to end the war.

What Comes Next

A White House official said the next steps regarding the war would be announced in the coming weeks. No specific timeline for renewed negotiations or a broader ceasefire has been confirmed, and the resumption of strikes on Kyiv indicates the capital-focused pause has not been extended.