Russian strikes kill three as Kyiv awaits US envoys
Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least three people overnight, local officials said on Friday, as diplomatic efforts to end the war showed signs of renewed activity with US envoys expected to visit Kyiv in the coming days.
The latest strikes hit several parts of Ukraine, including the Odesa region, Dnipro and Kyiv. Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper said one person was killed and at least five others, including a child, were injured in a “massive” overnight attack. Several residential buildings, including two high-rise blocks, were damaged.
Two police officers were also killed in Russian strikes on Dnipro, while a drone attack in Kyiv injured three people after hitting a residential building.
The attacks came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said preliminary dates had been set for meetings involving US officials in Moscow and Kyiv. He said Ukraine’s negotiating team remained in close contact with Washington and was preparing for substantive, high-level talks.
Russian state media reported that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were expected to visit Moscow before travelling to Kyiv on September 5-6. The reports could not be independently verified, while Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov and US officials did not immediately confirm the visits.
Meanwhile, Ukraine launched a large-scale drone attack on Russia’s Black Sea resort city of Sochi and the nearby Sirius district. Russian authorities reported a fire at an oil depot, while local media said two facilities were affected.
The latest escalation comes as peace negotiations have lost momentum. Russian President Vladimir Putin described the talks as “frozen” earlier this week, while the war continues to see intensified attacks both along the front and deep inside civilian areas.
Separately, Finnish authorities said they were investigating a Russian-made drone found on a rocky shoreline in the Pellinge archipelago east of Helsinki. The Border Guard said it was not yet possible to determine who operated the drone or what its intended purpose was.
with inputs from PTI