Explosions rock Kyiv as Russia resumes attacks after three-day pause amid US peace push

Explosions were reported in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv on Tuesday morning as Russia resumed attacks after a three-day pause during a visit by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Kyiv officials said residential buildings in two districts of the capital were reportedly damaged. They also said ballistic missiles had been launched towards the city. “Please remain in shelters until the air raid alert is lifted,” officials said on Telegram. The renewed attacks came after Witkoff and Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, met Ukrainian officials in Kyiv on Sunday. Their visit followed intensive talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow a day earlier.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said people were reportedly trapped inside a residential building following the latest attacks, which triggered fires at several locations across the Ukrainian capital, including an educational institution. “Substantive progress was made, including movement on scheduling additional trilateral talks,” Witkoff said on X following the talks, although no major breakthrough was announced.

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Russia and Ukraine had agreed to suspend attacks on each other’s capitals during the weekend of diplomatic activity. The temporary truce came after months of little meaningful progress toward resolving the conflict. The 72-hour pause expired on Tuesday, bringing an end to the brief reprieve following weeks of intense Russian attacks on Kyiv. Among the recent strikes was a daytime attack on the headquarters of Ukraine’s Security Service on Friday. It marked the first reported time the building had been struck during the conflict.

The attack was viewed as a significant escalation and highlighted Kyiv’s growing difficulties in protecting key infrastructure amid critical shortages of interceptor missiles. Ukraine has also intensified its own aerial campaign in recent months, carrying out strikes against targets deeper inside Russian territory. On Tuesday morning, the governor of Russia’s Saratov region said a Ukrainian drone attack had struck civilian infrastructure in the city and injured several people, according to a report by Reuters news agency.