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Russia has resumed drone attacks on Kyiv following the expiration of a three-day pause in strikes ordered by President Vladimir Putin during a weekend visit by US envoys to Moscow and the Ukrainian capital.
The renewed attacks were reported early Tuesday after the temporary halt, which coincided with meetings involving US President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, came to an end.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said Russian drones targeted the Boryspil and Fastiv districts around Kyiv late Monday.
“Russians attacked Boryspil and Fastiv districts with drones,” the agency said in a statement posted on Telegram.
Authorities in Kyiv subsequently activated an air raid alert, warning residents of the threat of further drone attacks and urging them to move to shelters.
A series of explosions was heard across the Ukrainian capital early Tuesday, according to AFP journalists in the city. The blasts were strong enough to set off car alarms in parts of central Kyiv.
Local authorities reported that buildings had been damaged in Kyiv and the surrounding Boryspil and Fastiv districts. An AFP journalist also reported seeing smoke rising over the city and the glow of a fire.
Russia’s state-run news agency TASS had earlier confirmed that the three-day suspension of strikes had expired.
The temporary pause was ordered by Putin as Witkoff and Kushner travelled to Moscow and Kyiv for discussions aimed at advancing efforts to end the war.
Witkoff later described the talks as showing progress, raising the possibility of renewed three-way negotiations involving the United States, Russia and Ukraine.
The resumption of attacks, however, comes as diplomatic efforts continue to seek a path towards ending the conflict that has persisted since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The latest strikes underscore the difficulty of translating diplomatic engagement into a sustained reduction in hostilities, with Kyiv again facing aerial attacks shortly after the brief pause.
Ukrainian emergency authorities continued responding to the reported damage and fires as residents were urged to remain in shelters while the threat persisted.
