Russia strikes Kyiv and Boryspil airports as US envoys prepare to visit

Why it matters

The deliberate Russian targeting of Kyiv and Boryspil airports marks a notable escalation in strikes on transport infrastructure near the Ukrainian capital, with President Zelensky publicly framing the attack as a Russian response to ongoing US-led diplomacy. Casualties and damage in Boryspil and Kamianske underscore the human cost of the overnight barrage, which spanned at least eight regions. The events unfold against the backdrop of the Witkoff–Kushner mission and Ukraine's offer to halt strikes on Russian territory during the visit, sharpening the diplomatic stakes.

What happened

On the night of September 4–5, Russian forces carried out drone strikes across multiple Ukrainian regions. President Zelensky said the attacks deliberately targeted the Kyiv (Zhuliany) and Boryspil airports for the first time in a long period, and characterized them as "Russian-Iranian 'Shaheds' in response to American diplomacy," linking them to discussions about the upcoming arrival of US envoys Witkoff and Kushner.

In Boryspil, a Russian drone hit a nine-story residential building, partially destroying the top floor and roof, sparking a fire and forcing the evacuation of 15 residents. Two women were hospitalized with acoustic trauma and closed chest injuries. In the Bucha district, warehouses caught fire; during firefighting a nearby warehouse was struck a second time. In Obukhiv district, rescuers dealt with ecosystem fires caused by falling drone debris.

The Air Force reported jet-type drones moving over Kyiv, Poltava and Chernihiv oblasts, including drones tracked toward Boryspil and Obukhiv. Air raid alerts were declared four times in Kyiv overnight.

Elsewhere, a Russian strike on a civilian enterprise in Kamianske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, killed four people and wounded five, according to Zelensky. Residential buildings were damaged in Kherson and Kharkiv Oblast, and drones hit shopping centers in Sumy and Mykolaiv. Explosions were reported in Odesa, Dnipro and Kamianske.

Zelensky said Ukraine would adjust its operation regarding Russian airspace the following week and that Ukraine poses no threat to the diplomatic process. US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were scheduled to visit Moscow on September 5 and Kyiv on September 6 to deliver, in President Trump's words, "a proposal to end the war."

How Ukrainian sources describe it

All supplied sources are Ukrainian-language outlets based in Ukraine. Coverage leads with Zelensky's framing of the airport strikes as deliberate, demonstrative and tied to the planned American visit, frequently quoting his line about "Russian-Iranian Shaheds in response to American diplomacy." Ukrainian outlets center the human-impact stories of the night — the Boryspil residential building strike and the Kamianske industrial enterprise strike — alongside the broader diplomatic context of the Witkoff–Kushner mission and Ukraine's reciprocal offer not to strike Russian territory during the visit. Several articles also note the Russian Defense Ministry's claimed targeting of "metallurgical combines, logistics centers and electrical substations" as Moscow's official justification.

Where reporting differs

Sources give different casualty figures for the Russian strike on a civilian enterprise in Kamianske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast: President Zelensky said four killed and five injured, while one report cited five killed.

Accounts also diverge on whether a temporary ceasefire or silence regime was in effect. Ukrainska Pravda reported that Ukrainian Defense Forces received an order to observe a silence regime along the line of combat contact from September 5 to 8, but Suspilne sources denied information about a ceasefire at the front, and the General Staff said combat operations continue in full.

Signals are also mixed on whether Russia halted strikes on Kyiv: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin ordered a three-day halt to strikes on Kyiv linked to the US envoys' visit, yet Russian strikes on Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast continued during the same period.

Background

US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were scheduled to visit Moscow on September 5 and Kyiv on September 6 for talks on ending the war. President Zelensky said Ukraine would not conduct airstrikes on Russian territory during the American delegation's visit and called on Russia to reciprocate. On September 1, Zelensky had warned airlines that Russian airspace was becoming dangerous; Ukraine officially informed ICAO of the same. Ukraine's Defense Forces received an order to observe a temporary silence regime along the line of combat contact between September 5 and 8, with no agreement from Russia; the General Staff emphasized combat operations continue in full. According to the New York Times, US negotiators had for weeks asked Ukraine to temporarily halt drone strikes on Moscow and Russian energy facilities while Russia halt missile strikes on Kyiv. Bloomberg reported that the Kremlin had very low expectations for the negotiations. On September 4, an earlier Russian drone strike reportedly caused a fire in the Solomiansky district of Kyiv near Zhuliany airport; MP Oleksiy Honcharenko said a drone hit an aircraft at Zhuliany that day. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed responsibility for strikes on "metallurgical industry combines, logistics centers and electrical substations" in several Ukrainian oblasts.