Russia Resumed Strikes on Kyiv Hours After a Three-Day Pause Around American Envoys' Visit

Explosions were heard across Kyiv and neighboring cities early on Tuesday, ending a three-day halt in Russian strikes. The South China Morning Post reports that President Vladimir Putin had ordered the pause while the American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited. Al Jazeera reports that the resumed strikes killed at least two people and wounded 16, that Witkoff described himself as encouraged by the talks, and that a White House official told Reuters next steps would be announced in the coming weeks. Ukraine's interior minister, Ivan Vyhivskyi, said the death toll rose to three as rescue work continued, and that explosions were heard in Kyiv for nearly five hours as Russian forces fired ballistic and cruise missiles alongside more than 160 attack drones, according to Ukraine's Air Force. Vyhivskyi said more than 50 sites in Kyiv were damaged, including residential buildings, dormitories, schools, shops, gas stations and a flour production plant. Deutsche Welle is tracking the strikes across Kyiv and adjacent regions.

Moscow presents the same three days differently. Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian foreign ministry's ambassador-at-large on Ukrainian crimes, said Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory also decreased while Witkoff was in the country. In a separate statement carried by TASS, he said 266 residents of Russia were injured and 46 killed by Ukrainian strikes over the past week. Those figures come from a Russian official and have not been independently verified. The Ukrainian casualty figures from Tuesday's strikes come from Ukrainian authorities and likewise have not been independently verified by outside parties.

Both accounts can be true at once, and that is the key point. Each side suspended long-range fire while the mediators were present and resumed it as soon as they left, which describes a bargaining process conducted through strike tempo rather than a move toward a durable pause. Russian outlets on Tuesday also reported flight restrictions at Orenburg airport, one of a series of aviation interruptions deep inside Russia that have become routine.