Putin orders 72‑hour pause on Kyiv strikes ahead of US envoys

On Saturday Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a 72‑hour pause to all airstrikes on Kyiv, to begin at midnight. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the Tass news agency the move was tied to the arrival of U.S. Peace envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who flew into Moscow before heading to Kyiv to try to revive stalled negotiations.

“Putin has ordered that no strikes be carried out against Kyiv for three days, starting at midnight today,”

Media additions

Peskov, via Tass

The announcement came after a Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) in central Kyiv, an attack the Ukrainian president said was “aimed directly” at the agency’s leadership. That same night Russian forces hit Kyiv’s main airport and nearby Boryspil International Airport, which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy linked to the planned envoy visit.

“Clearly, these Russian strikes on the airports are a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the U.S. side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine,”

Zelenskyy, via X

In southern Dnipropetrovsk region an industrial facility was hit, killing five civilian workers – a locksmith, an electrician, a plumber and a machinist – and wounding five others, local military administration head Oleksandr Hanzha said. He later described the victims as “people of peaceful professions” who were simply working their shift when the missiles struck.

“A locksmith, an electrician, a plumber and a machinist. People of peaceful professions. They were simply working their shift. They were doing their job when enemy missiles cut off their lives,”

Hanzha, via local military administration

Russia’s Ministry of Defence said the strikes targeted “major suppliers of metal products for Ukraine’s military production,” hitting two metallurgical plants in the same region. The ministry also reported shooting down 53 Ukrainian drones overnight, while Ukraine’s air force said it neutralised 128 of the 167 drones launched from the Rostov and Voronezh regions.

The air war now stretches along a 1,250‑kilometre front line. Russian forces have increasingly used fast‑flying, jet‑powered Shahed‑type drones, adding to the daily siren alerts that have become routine for Kyiv residents.

U.S. President Donald Trump promoted the envoy mission on Friday, saying:

“I sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two great negotiators. They've done a great job, and we sent them over to see whether or not we can get something done. And there may be a great chance that we'll do it,”

Trump, via reporters

The pair were welcomed at Moscow’s airport by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who posted photos captioned “Welcome to Moscow Peacemakers.” Their itinerary includes meetings with senior Russian officials on Saturday and a scheduled arrival in Kyiv on Sunday, where they will present a U.S. Peace proposal. This will be their first visit to Kyiv, though they met Putin in Moscow in January.

Zelenskyy confirmed the planned visit on X, writing, “We need to look for real options for how to move this war toward an end.” He added that Ukraine would ensure the “normal functioning of Russian airspace” so the envoys could travel safely, and pledged that Ukrainian forces would halt airstrikes during the trip, urging Moscow to do the same.

“We are looking out for them, not for Russia. There will be no air strikes from our side, and Russia must do the same, ensuring there are no air strikes from its side for the time needed to hold these talks and handle the logistical matters related to this American visit,”

Zelenskyy, via X

Additional attacks were recorded elsewhere. In the Kyiv region two people were wounded when a strike sparked a fire in a nine‑storey residential building in the Boryspil district. In the Mykolaiv region drones hit a shopping centre, injuring a 72‑year‑old man and a 17‑year‑old girl. Emergency crews were repeatedly forced to withdraw because of the threat of further strikes.

Elsewhere, Ukrainian forces wounded three people, including a 14‑year‑old girl, in Russia’s Belgorod border region.