Russian strike on Kyiv kills two, wounds ten in overnight assault

A Russian overnight attack on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, has left at least two people dead and ten others injured, according to local authorities. The strike, which occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, triggered fires in several non-residential buildings across the Holosiivskyi and Podilskyi districts.

Emergency crews were deployed to multiple locations to extinguish the blazes. Video footage from the scene showed thick plumes of smoke rising over the city as firefighters worked through the aftermath.

Ihor Chyhir, the owner of an office facility that was hit, described the terrifying moments after the strike. "My whole body is shaking, my hands are shaking, I can't cry. Because I've gave a lot of life to this, there's a lot of damage here," he said. He added that a security guard on duty had called him after 3 a.m. to report the impact, noting that the automatic fire alarm had gone off and firefighters were already on the scene. "Thank God no one was hurt," he added.

A 61-year-old Kyiv resident, Iryna Barisenkova, recounted the intensity of the attack. "Mother of God, everything was thundering on the left bank, and it hit somewhere near the DVRZ," she said. She also made a pointed remark about the recent visit of U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who held talks in Kyiv on Sunday. "I slept very well for two nights (because of the visit). We got some rest. Thanks to them, let them come more often so they don't shell us," she said.

The U.S. envoys' visit, which followed a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, was part of a renewed diplomatic push to end the conflict. However, no breakthrough was reported. The attack underscores the continued intensity of the war, now in its fifth year, with both sides escalating aerial strikes.