Russian attacks killed four people in Ukraine overnight, while Moscow and Kyiv await the arrival of U.S. envoys to advance efforts toward peace in the Kremlin’s 4 1/2-year-old invasion.
The expected visit by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who is also U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, is anticipated to revitalize peace negotiations amid escalating aerial assaults from both sides.
The air war between Russia and Ukraine has intensified as troops have encountered difficulties advancing along the 1,250-kilometer (775-mile) front line. Russia has recently employed fast-flying, jet-powered drones, making the sound of air-raid sirens a regular occurrence in Kyiv.
These strikes occurred despite a message from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday stating that Ukraine would suspend air attacks during Witkoff and Kushner’s visit and urging Moscow to do likewise.
Zelenskyy stated in a social media post, “Just as we did during previous diplomatic visits by the American side, we will ensure the normal functioning of Russian airspace so that the negotiators can arrive safely.” He added, “There will be no airstrikes from our side, and Russia must do the same, ensuring there are no airstrikes from its side for the time needed to hold these talks and handle the logistical matters related to this American visit.”
Local military administration head Oleksandr Hanzha reported that Russian attacks killed four people and injured five more at an industrial facility in Ukraine’s southern Dnipropetrovsk region. He also noted that a 62-year-old man was wounded, and several private homes and an apartment building sustained damage in a separate attack on the Nikopol district of the region.
In a statement released Saturday, Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced it conducted strikes on two metallurgical plants in the region, describing them as “major suppliers of metal products for Ukraine’s military production.”
Tymur Tkachenko, head of the regional military administration, reported that two additional people were wounded during an overnight Russian attack in Ukraine’s Kyiv region. In the Boryspil district, a fire ignited by a strike partially destroyed a nine-story residential building.
Ukraine’s state emergency services stated that Russian forces repeatedly targeted a shopping center in the southern Mykolaiv region with drones overnight, causing damage to retail premises and starting fires. A 72-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl were injured.
The emergency services reported that crews responding to the incident were frequently forced to retreat for safety due to the threat of further strikes, returning only when conditions permitted.
Ukraine’s Air Force indicated that Russia launched ballistic missiles from its Rostov and Voronezh regions and deployed 167 attack drones overnight. These drones included Shahed-type aircraft—about half of which were jet-powered—along with Geran and decoy drones. Ukrainian air defenses shot down or suppressed 128 drones, according to the Air Force.
Local officials reported that elsewhere, Ukrainian attacks wounded three people, including a 14-year-old girl, in Russia’s border region of Belgorod.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense stated in a statement that its forces downed 53 Ukrainian drones overnight.