Explosions were heard in Kyiv late Monday as Russian drones attacked the surrounding region at the end of a three-day pause in strikes on the Ukrainian capital tied to visits by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Ukraine’s Air Force warned that jet-powered drones were approaching Kyiv from several directions, while authorities urged residents to remain in shelters.
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Russian drones struck the Boryspil and Fastiv districts of Kyiv region, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said.
Fires broke out at industrial facilities in the Boryspil district, while seven trucks were destroyed. A logistics complex was struck twice. Emergency crews later extinguished the fires.
Questions over when pause ended
Russian state news agency TASS reported that the three-day suspension ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin had expired.
However, the precise timing of the pause had already been disputed.
As Kyiv Post reported earlier Monday, Russian accounts indicated that the halt began at midnight between Friday and Saturday, which would put its expiration at the end of Monday.
Ukrainian reporting, however, had said the pause was expected to last until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8.
Kyiv Post also reported Russian drone activity around the capital before either possible expiration time.
On Monday evening, authorities warned of several jet-powered drones approaching Kyiv, including one detected over the city itself.
The temporary halt was also limited largely to strikes against Kyiv and Moscow rather than representing a broader ceasefire.
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Attacks elsewhere in Ukraine continued throughout the weekend. On Saturday, explosions were also heard near Boryspil during an air raid alert, while Russian strikes elsewhere killed and wounded civilians.
Diplomacy followed by renewed attacks
Putin agreed to the temporary halt as Witkoff and Kushner traveled to Moscow and Kyiv over the weekend as part of Washington’s latest effort to revive negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The brief pause came only after Kyiv and the surrounding region had endured more than eight consecutive days of Russian drone and missile attacks, repeatedly forcing residents into shelters and putting additional strain on Ukraine’s air defenses.
The sudden quiet during the US envoys’ visit prompted Zelensky to joke about their effect on the capital’s security.
“Today, you worked even better than the Patriot systems for our citizens here in the capital,” Zelensky told Witkoff and Kushner, urging them to “come visit more often.”
Witkoff later said the meetings had produced progress and raised the prospect of renewed trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the US.
But the return of Russian drones immediately after the diplomatic push highlighted how limited Moscow’s temporary pause had been. Russian attacks continued elsewhere in Ukraine during the three-day halt, while questions remained over whether Moscow had fully observed even the narrowly defined pause around Kyiv.
For Ukrainians, the renewed attack also underscored a familiar reality: diplomatic initiatives have repeatedly unfolded while Russia continues its broader campaign of missile and drone strikes against Ukrainian cities.