Russia Barrage, Ukraine Strike Kill 4  09/08 06:38

   

   KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Two people were killed when Russia bombarded the 
Ukrainian capital Kyiv with drones and missiles overnight, local authorities 
said Tuesday, and a Russian-installed official in illegally annexed Crimea said 
a Ukrainian attack killed two people there.

   The attacks came soon after the warring countries had paused attacks on each 
other's capitals over the weekend as U.S. envoys made a renewed push to narrow 
the differences between Moscow and Kyiv and steer them toward a peace 
settlement.

   With neither side able to deliver a knockout blow in the war that started 
after Moscow's February 2022 invasion, and with armies on the front line 
largely stuck, Russia and Ukraine have in recent months intensified their air 
war in an effort to grind each other down.

   The visit to Moscow and Kyiv by Washington envoys Jared Kushner and Steve 
Witkoff produced no significant breakthrough that might stop the fighting.

   Top Ukraine diplomat says 'horrific' attack hurts peace efforts

   The main targets of Russia's overnight attack were Kyiv and the southern 
Odesa region. At least 16 people were wounded in Kyiv, Ukraine's Interior 
Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi said. There was no immediate tally of casualties in 
Odesa.

   Explosions were heard in Kyiv for nearly five hours, according to Vyhivskyi. 
More than 50 sites were damaged in Kyiv during the Russian overnight attack 
Tuesday, including residential buildings, dormitories, schools, shops, gas 
stations and a flour production plant, he said.

   Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called it "a horrific attack" and 
accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of undermining U.S. peace efforts.

   "His ballistic missiles speak louder than his words on diplomacy," Sybiha 
said on X, referring to Putin. "Strike after strike on residential buildings 
brings him no closer to winning this war -- it is nothing but senseless terror."

   Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram that the 
attack was complex and appeared deliberately designed to cause maximum damage, 
involving ballistic and cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles and Shahed drones.

   Russia says it hit military-related targets

   The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces overnight launched a massive 
strike with "land-, air-, and sea-based precision weapons, as well as 
long-range unmanned aerial vehicles" on Ukrainian military industry facilities. 
It provided a detailed list of its targets.

   The targets included places storing Ukrainian drones and cruise missiles, as 
well transport, logistics and distribution centers for military cargo in Kyiv 
and the Kyiv region, the ministry said.

   Infrastructure in the port of Chornomorsk in the Odesa region used for 
"unloading military cargo" also was struck. Additionally, the Russian forces 
hit a tanker carrying fuel and lubricants for the Ukrainian armed forces, the 
ministry said.

   In the meantime, a Ukrainian attack on Crimea killed two people and wounded 
one, the peninsula's Russian-installed governor Sergei Aksyonov said.

   People rescued from Kyiv apartment blocks after attack

   The Russian attack caused damage and fires in at least five districts of the 
capital, Ukraine's State Emergency Service said. The Kyiv City Military 
Administration said civilian infrastructure was damaged in at least 16 
locations.

   A 26-story non-residential building was hit in the Holosiivskyi district. 
Rescuers saved one person during a search and two people were evacuated from an 
apartment in a 16-story residential building, officials said.

   People also were trapped in a five-story, residential building in 
Solomianskyi district, according to authorities.

   Kyiv resident Iryna Barisenkova, 61, said she heard explosions while 
traveling on public transport and was told there was a large fire near the 
Darnytskyi Vehicle Repair Plant on the capital's left bank.

   "Everything was thundering on the left bank," Barisenkova said. "It was just 
brutal."

   Barisenkova said she had slept well during the previous two nights while 
Witkoff and Kushner traveled to Kyiv and then stayed in the city.

   "We got some rest, thanks to them," she said. "Let them come more often so 
they don't shell us."