Russia strikes Kyiv and Boryspil airports, Zelensky links attack to US diplomacy visit

Why it matters

The night attack was framed by Ukraine's president as the first deliberate Russian strike on Kyiv and Boryspil airports in a long time, and he explicitly linked it to the planned visit of US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The strikes caused civilian casualties in Boryspil and Kamianske, prompted Ukraine to warn that it would adjust its operations regarding Russian airspace the following week, and coincided with Russia's reported refusal of a temporary ceasefire — together signaling heightened risks around the diplomatic track and continued escalation of attacks on civilian infrastructure.

What happened

On the night of September 4–5, Russian forces launched a large-scale drone attack across multiple Ukrainian regions, with the Air Force tracking jet-type drones over Kyiv, Poltava, and Chernihiv oblasts. Air raid alerts in Kyiv were declared and lifted four times during the night. In Boryspil, a drone caused a fire and partially destroyed a 9-story residential building, destroying the roof and the 9th-floor structures; two women were hospitalized with barotrauma and closed chest trauma and 15 residents were evacuated by rescuers. In Bucha district of Kyiv Oblast, warehouses caught fire and a repeat strike hit an adjacent warehouse building during firefighting, while in Obukhiv district rescuers extinguished ecosystem fires caused by falling drone debris.

President Zelensky stated that Russia deliberately targeted the Kyiv (Zhuliany) and Boryspil airports — the first such strikes in a long time — and characterized them as Russian-Iranian Shaheds fired in response to American diplomacy and the preparation for the possible arrival of the US delegation by plane. Zelensky added that Ukraine had recorded the action and would adjust its operation regarding Russian airspace the following week, that Ukraine would not strike Russian territory during the American delegation's visit, and that there were no threats to diplomacy from the Ukrainian side.

Elsewhere, Russia struck a civilian enterprise in Kamianske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast; according to Zelensky, 4 people were killed and 5 injured (one source reported 5 killed). Residential buildings were damaged in Kherson, Boryspil, and Kharkiv Oblast, and drones struck shopping centers in Sumy and Mykolaiv. Explosions were also reported in Odesa. Ukraine had warned airlines on September 1 that Russian airspace was becoming dangerous and formally informed ICAO of this assessment. Reports indicated Russia had refused Ukraine's proposed temporary ceasefire; the General Staff said combat operations along the front continued in full. Russia's Ministry of Defense claimed responsibility for strikes on metallurgical combines, logistics centers, and electrical substations in several oblasts.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

Ukrainian media and agencies uniformly emphasize Russia's responsibility for the attacks and their impact on civilian infrastructure, particularly the partial destruction of a 9-story residential building in Boryspil and casualties from the strike on a civilian enterprise in Kamianske. Coverage centers Zelensky's framing of the airport strikes as a deliberate and demonstrative Russian response to American diplomacy, and underscores Ukraine's diplomatic restraint — Zelensky's stated commitment not to strike Russian territory during the US delegation's visit and his call for reciprocal Russian de-escalation. Sources foreground the planned visits of US envoys Witkoff and Kushner as the key political backdrop, tying the night's events to Zelensky's earlier September 1 warnings about Russian airspace and Ukraine's formal notification to ICAO.

Where reporting differs

Casualty figures from the Russian strike on the civilian enterprise in Kamianske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast differ: Zelensky reported 4 killed and 5 injured, while one source cited via a separate article reported 5 killed. Sources also diverge on whether a temporary silence regime along the combat line was in effect during this period — Ukrainska Pravda reported an order for a unilateral Ukrainian ceasefire from September 5 to September 8, while Suspilne sources denied any ceasefire at the front and the Main Communications Directorate of the Armed Forces stated combat operations continued in full.

Background

On September 1, Zelensky warned airlines that Russian airspace was becoming dangerous due to military activity, and Ukraine formally informed ICAO of this assessment. On September 4, Zelensky confirmed the visit of US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, scheduled to travel to Moscow on Saturday and to Kyiv on Sunday (September 5–6); according to MP Oleksiy Honcharenko, the envoys were coordinating landing at Boryspil airport, and on September 4 a fire broke out in Kyiv's Solomiansky district near Zhuliany airport, with media speculating a Russian drone struck an aircraft there. According to the New York Times, the US had insisted Ukraine temporarily halt drone attacks on Moscow and Russian energy facilities during the visit, while Russia would halt missile strikes on Kyiv. Ukrainska Pravda reported that Ukrainian Defense Forces received an order to observe a temporary silence regime along the line of combat engagement from 00:00 September 5 to 23:59 September 8 as a unilateral Ukrainian initiative, though Suspilne sources denied this. Russia's Ministry of Defense claimed responsibility for strikes on metallurgical combines, logistics centers, and electrical substations in several Ukrainian oblasts.