Russian attacks killed four people in Ukraine overnight, according to Ukrainian officials, as Moscow and Kyiv prepare for a new diplomatic push involving U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
The latest strikes came as the United States seeks to revive peace efforts aimed at ending Russia’s more than four-year invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he expects the U.S. representatives to visit Kyiv, although the timing and arrangements have faced uncertainty.
The four people killed were employees at an industrial facility in Ukraine’s southern Dnipropetrovsk region, according to regional military administration head Oleksandr Hanzha. Five others were wounded in the attack.
Hanzha said the victims were workers carrying out routine duties when the Russian strikes hit the facility. Ukrainian authorities also reported damage to private homes and an apartment building in the Nikopol district.
The Kyiv region was also targeted overnight. Regional officials reported that two people were wounded, while a strike in the Boryspil district sparked a fire that partially damaged a nine-story residential building.
Russia also repeatedly attacked a shopping center in the southern Mykolaiv region with drones, causing fires and damaging retail premises. A 72-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl were injured, according to Ukraine’s emergency services. Responding firefighters were reportedly forced to withdraw several times because of the threat of additional strikes.
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched ballistic missiles and 167 attack drones during the overnight assault. Ukrainian forces said they shot down or suppressed 128 of the drones, including Shahed-type aircraft, Geran drones and decoys.
The attacks came shortly after Zelenskyy called on Russia to suspend aerial attacks while U.S. envoys visit the region. He said Ukraine would also halt its own air attacks during the diplomatic visit in an effort to create safer conditions for discussions.
Zelenskyy later suggested that Russian strikes targeting Kyiv and Boryspil airports could be connected to preparations for the U.S. delegation’s possible trip to Ukraine.
The planned diplomatic effort involves Witkoff and Kushner, who previously met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Their expected visit is intended to help restart negotiations at a time when fighting along the approximately 1,250-kilometer front line remains intense.
The latest violence illustrates the difficult environment surrounding the diplomatic initiative. While Washington is seeking progress toward a settlement, Russia and Ukraine continue to exchange long-range missile and drone attacks.
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly called for stronger air defenses to protect civilians and critical infrastructure, while Russia maintains that its strikes target facilities connected to Ukraine’s military production.
As U.S. representatives prepare for discussions with officials in Moscow and Kyiv, the latest casualties underscore the urgency of efforts to reduce the violence and find a lasting path toward ending the war.
Swifteradio.com
