Russia Strikes Kyiv Region as Three-Day Pause Ends
Explosions were heard in Kyiv late Monday as Russian drones targeted the capital and surrounding region before a three-day pause tied to visits by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner was due to expire.
Ukraine’s Air Force warned that jet-powered drones were approaching Kyiv from several directions, while authorities urged residents to remain in shelters.
JOIN US ON TELEGRAM
Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.
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, its precise timing remained disputed. As Kyiv Post reported earlier Monday, Russian accounts said the halt began at midnight between Friday and Saturday, placing its expiration at 11:59 p.m. Monday.
Russian drone activity was reported well before that deadline. At 8:45 p.m. Monday, Ukraine’s Air Force warned of a jet-powered drone over Kyiv, while several others were reported approaching the capital – suggesting Moscow breached even the timeline it had publicly set for the truce.
The pause was limited largely to strikes on Kyiv and Moscow rather than a broader ceasefire.
Russian attacks elsewhere in Ukraine continued throughout the weekend. On Saturday, explosions were heard near Boryspil during an air raid alert, while strikes in other regions killed and wounded civilians.
Other Topics of Interest
Zelensky Says Putin ‘Needs Trump,’ May Offer De-Escalation Before Winter
In an interview with Axios, Zelensky said Ukraine and Russia may explore steps to ease tensions through winter, including energy, oil exports and grain.
‘Better than Patriot’
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 before Moscow’s own stated deadline highlighted how limited the temporary pause had been.
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.