▲ A building in Kyiv catches fire following a Russian attack.
Just after the conclusion of the U.S. special envoys' consecutive visits to Russia and Ukraine, Russia launched an attack targeting the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on the 8th (local time).
Thearmed conflict between the two sides has flared up again, casting doubt on the U.S. special envoys' assessment that substantive progress had been made during this visit.
Both sides had temporarily halted attacks on each other's capitals during the envoys' visit.
According to AFP, Reuters, and CNN, explosions caused by Russian airstrikes continued in Kyiv in the early hours of the day.
Ukrainian authorities issued air raid sirens and evacuation orders to residents.
Kyiv authorities stated that ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and jet-propelled drones were mobilized in the attack, damaging two residential buildings and sending flames and smoke billowing.
Odesa and Kharkiv were also targeted, while infrastructure facilities in the Kyiv region and a locomotive in the Sumy area were attacked.
According to regional authorities, the attack killed two civilians and injured 10 others.
With air defense systems such as Patriot depleted, Ukraine has been unable to fend off Russia's ballistic missile attacks.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on social media, "Putin's ballistic missiles deliver a clearer message than his words on diplomacy."
Earlier, Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy for President Donald Trump, and Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law, held a three-hour meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on the 5th.
They then met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv for three hours on the 6th to discuss a peace proposal before departing.
Ukraine has also continued retaliatory strikes.
Russian authorities in Saratov stated that Ukrainian drones attacked local civilian facilities on the same day, injuring several people.
The Saratov region is a hub concentrated with industrial and military bases, including a massive oil refinery operated by the Russian state-owned company Rosneft.
Earlier on the 7th, President Zelenskyy stated that an oil refinery in the Ryazan region, deep inside Russian territory, had been attacked.
President Zelenskyy also stated that oil processing facilities in Russia's Perm region and the Republic of Tatarstan, as well as a drone launching facility in the Kursk region, were targeted.
As Russia intensified its offensive, neighboring Poland launched preemptive military operations.
Poland is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU).
Poland's Lublin Airport temporarily suspended flight operations due to military operations.
While the United States is attempting to raise the possibility of resuming trilateral talks following these consecutive meetings, Russia and Ukraine are still only making principled remarks.
Special Envoy Witkoff posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account the previous day, after concluding his visit, stating, "Substantive progress has been made, including coordinating the schedule for additional trilateral talks."
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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