Ukraine war: Drone attacks continue despite US mediation efforts

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are heading to Kyiv after meeting Vladimir Putin in Moscow, but the diplomatic effort has unfolded alongside fresh drone attacks across Ukraine and Russia.

The capitals of Kyiv and Moscow were reportedly spared under an agreed pause in attacks. Elsewhere, however, air strikes continued. Russian attacks hit the frontline city of Zaporizhzhia, where people were reported killed, according to regional governor Ivan Fedorov. Russian drones also struck a border crossing near Romania, local authorities said.

A Russian drone killed three people in the Kharkiv-region city of Chuhuiv on Saturday evening. Ukrainian drones, meanwhile, reportedly sparked a fire at a refinery in Ryazan, southeast of Moscow. Further attacks were reported in Russia’s southern Rostov region.

Witkoff and Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, met Putin in Moscow on Saturday. The White House said they discussed “concrete plans” to end the war. In Kyiv, they are expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during their first visit to the capital.

The pause around the two capitals was intended to give the American envoys a safe journey. But Russia has changed its drone tactics since last week, using faster, jet-powered aircraft. Attacks on Kyiv, previously carried out almost always at night, are now conducted around the clock, heavily disrupting residents’ daily lives and severely affecting rail services.

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