Russia hit Kyiv in overnight attack, killing 5, injuring 29
Russia Launches Overnight Missile and Drone Attack on Kyiv After Brief Truce Ends
Russian forces carried out a large-scale missile and drone attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region overnight on September 8, killing three people and injuring 16 others. The assault marked the clear end of a short aerial truce that had been in place while U.S. envoys visited the Ukrainian capital for peace talks.
According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia launched 32 cruise missiles, 166 Shahed-type drones (more than half of them jet-powered), and an unspecified number of ballistic missiles. Ukrainian defenses intercepted two ballistic missiles, 31 cruise missiles, and 142 drones. Strikes were recorded at 29 locations. Monitoring channels reported that at least 12 ballistic missiles targeted the city within about an hour.
The attack damaged residential buildings, a school, warehouses, garages, and vehicles in several Kyiv districts, including Holosiivskyi, Solomianskyi, Darnytskyi, Podilskyi, and Dniprovskyi. Fires broke out at multiple sites. A drone also struck the building of the We-Ukraine TV channel during a live broadcast, injuring at least five people. Emergency services evacuated residents from damaged multi-story buildings.
In Kyiv Oblast, residential areas and civilian infrastructure were also hit. One person was injured in Bila Tserkva, where apartment buildings, a house, a warehouse, and a production facility were damaged. Additional damage to homes, warehouses, businesses, and vehicles was reported in the Brovary, Boryspil, Fastiv, and Obukhiv districts.
The strike followed a three-day pause on aerial attacks against each other’s capitals that Russia had announced during the visit of U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. After their departure on September 7, Russian forces resumed drone flights toward Kyiv, culminating in the overnight barrage. Air raid alerts continued into the morning as jet-powered drones remained active over the capital.
Trump and Putin had a phone call after peace envoys visited Moscow and Kyiv
U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sept. 8, the Kremlin said, as Washington renewed efforts to broker an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine. The call followed weekend visits by Trump’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and, for the first time, Kyiv in an effort to revive stalled peace talks.
Putin outlined his vision for the peace process and gave Trump his assessment of the war, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters. Putin also assured Trump that Russia has no aggressive plans toward Europe. “During his conversation with Putin, Trump emphasized the need to bring the conflict in Ukraine to an end, which would open the door to a major restoration of relations between Russia and the United States,” Ushakov said. A U.S. official previously said Trump would speak with Putin after receiving a briefing from his envoys and was then expected to call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Witkoff and Kushner met with Putin in Moscow on September 5 before holding talks with Zelenskyy and his team in Kyiv the following day. The White House described the Moscow meeting as involving “substantive plans for next steps,” but neither side announced a breakthrough. People familiar with the negotiations told the Kyiv Independent that the U.S. envoys presented revised peace proposals, including a possible mutual pause in aerial strikes, but Russia has not agreed to the proposal.
Zelenskyy said after the Kyiv talks that the war was likely to continue into the winter as Ukraine prepares for another wave of Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure. The most tangible progress so far appears to be Washington’s push for a new round of trilateral talks involving the U.S., Ukraine and Russia, a possibility the Kremlin has not ruled out.
The renewed diplomatic effort comes after U.S.-led peace negotiations largely stalled as Washington shifted its attention to the war in Iran, while Kyiv and Moscow remain sharply divided over territory. Putin told the U.S. envoys on Sept. 5 that Russia expects to achieve its “goals” and wants the “root causes” of the war resolved. The Kremlin has repeatedly rejected a ceasefire and demanded that Ukraine cede territory in the Donbas, while Kyiv has called for a ceasefire along the current front line and Western-backed security guarantees to deter future Russian aggression.
Ukraine will use EU funds to buy several thousand IRIS-T missiles from Germany
Ukraine will purchase several thousand additional missiles for Germany’s IRIS-T air defense systems using funds from a €90 billion ($105 billion) EU loan, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Sept. 8.
“I’m pleased that Ukraine is going to order several thousand additional IRIS-T guided missiles that will be funded by the EU’s Ukraine defense loan,” Pistorius said ahead of a videoconference meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, also known as the Ramstein format. He said the medium-range IRIS-T system “has been used in Ukraine very, very successfully.”
“We’re keeping up our continuous deliveries of IRIS-T air defense systems, including guided missiles from industry production,” Pistorius added.