Kiev bombed again after truce ends: at least three dead

Overnight between Monday and Tuesday, Russia resumed its air strikes on Kyiv, after a three-day suspension that coincided with a visit by two American envoys. The attack killed at least three people and injured dozens.

In the early hours of Tuesday, AFP journalists reported loud explosions in the Ukrainian capital, with columns of smoke and several fires visible across the city. During the night, an air raid alert for missiles had been triggered, with the population ordered to seek shelter; the alert was lifted only in the early morning.

Kyiv mayor Vitalii Klitschko said that people had been trapped in a residential building that was hit and that fires had broken out in several parts of the city, following what he described as Russian ballistic missile strikes. The capital's military administration reported damage to a five-storey apartment block and another residential building caused by falling debris, and urged residents not to leave their homes.

The explosions were also heard in neighbouring Poland, which, as a member of NATO and the European Union, scrambled fighter jets to protect its airspace from possible violations. Lublin airport temporarily suspended flights.

The attacks resumed after American envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff left Ukraine. They had met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday and had previously travelled to Moscow for talks with Russian officials. According to Zelensky, quoted by the US outlet Axios, Russian President Vladimir Putin had signalled to the envoys that he was willing to negotiate a "de-escalation" during the winter, which could include a mutual suspension of attacks on sectors such as energy, grain, electricity, oil and gas.

According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia fired dozens of missiles and 166 drones in the overnight attack, targeting mainly the area around Kyiv and the southern Odesa region. Ukrainian forces said they had shot down 142 drones, 31 of 32 cruise missiles and two ballistic missiles. On Tuesday, a passenger train on the Kyiv-Sumy line was targeted by two drones, but all passengers were evacuated in time. In Kharkiv, two people were injured in a bombardment of residential buildings.

Ukrainian attacks also hit Russian territory

In Russia, Ukrainian drones struck the city of Saratov, about 730 kilometres southeast of Moscow, home to a large refinery run by the state oil company Rosneft. Regional governor Roman Busargin reported damage to civilian infrastructure and several injuries. In the border region of Bryansk, a Ukrainian attack on the city of Starodub killed one person, according to acting governor Yegor Kovalchuk.