Russia Strikes Kyiv Hours After US Envoy Visit; 5 Killed — SkimNews
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- Russia struck Kyiv on September 8, 2026, after a three-day pause in attacks on both capitals expired, killing at least 5 people and injuring 30, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
- Ukraine's air force said it intercepted 142 drones, 31 of 32 cruise missiles, and two ballistic missiles during the overnight barrage, though it did not disclose the total number of ballistic missiles launched.
- The strikes damaged buildings across five Kyiv districts — Darnytskyi, Holosiivskyi, Podilskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, and Solomianskyi — and a Russian drone partially destroyed a Ukrainian TV channel building, per President Zelenskyy.
- Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the timing proved Putin's bad faith: 'His ballistic missiles speak louder than his words on diplomacy,' noting the assault came right after US envoys Witkoff and Kushner left both capitals.
- Trump held a phone call with Putin the same day, telling him he wanted a swift end to the war that would allow US-Russia ties to be fully restored, according to the Kremlin.
- Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said both Putin and Trump rated the weekend Witkoff-Kushner visit 'with a plus sign,' despite yielding no tangible progress toward ending the conflict.
Why it matters: The same-day Trump-Putin phone call came as Russia launched one of its largest recent strikes on Kyiv — 5 killed, 30 injured — hours after US envoys Witkoff and Kushner left both capitals without a breakthrough. Ukraine's foreign minister captured the contradiction in a single line: 'His ballistic missiles speak louder than his words on diplomacy.'
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