Russian Attacks Kill Five in Ukraine as Moscow and Kyiv Prepare for Visit by US Envoys

Russian attacks killed five people in Ukraine overnight as Moscow and Kyiv prepared for the arrival of US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Washington hopes the visit will revive peace talks as aerial attacks intensify on both sides.

The planned trip would be Witkoff and Kushner’s first known visit to Kyiv. They last visited Moscow in January, when they met President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he expected them in the Ukrainian capital on Sunday.

“

Clearly, these Russian strikes on the airports are a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the US side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine.

The air war has escalated while ground forces have made little progress along the 1,250-kilometer front line. Russia has recently used fast-flying, jet-powered drones, and air-raid sirens have become a recurring part of daily life in Kyiv. Zelenskyy said Ukraine would stop air attacks during the envoys’ visit and urged Moscow to do the same.

“Clearly, these Russian strikes on the airports are a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the US side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said in a social media post. “We have taken note of this Russian move, and next week we will adjust our operation accordingly regarding Russian airspace, which has become dangerous because of our drones and missiles in the sky. Of course, there are and will be no threats to diplomacy from our side.”

“

We have taken note of this Russian move, and next week we will adjust our operation accordingly regarding Russian airspace, which has become dangerous because of our drones and missiles in the sky. Of course, there are and will be no threats to diplomacy from our side.

Oleksandr Hanzha, head of the military administration in the southern Dnipropetrovsk region, said four people were killed and five wounded at an industrial facility. He identified the dead as employees: “A locksmith, an electrician, a plumber and a machinist. People of peaceful professions. They were simply working their shift. They were doing their job when enemy missiles cut off their lives.”

Hanzha said a 62-year-old man was also wounded in a separate strike on the Nikopol district, where several homes and an apartment building were damaged. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces struck two metallurgical plants, calling them major suppliers to Ukraine’s military production. Another two people were wounded in the Kyiv region, where a strike-triggered fire partially destroyed a nine-story residential building.

“

A locksmith, an electrician, a plumber and a machinist. People of peaceful professions. They were simply working their shift. They were doing their job when enemy missiles cut off their lives.