Kyiv Airports Struck in Response to US Diplomacy, Zelensky Says

President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Facebook that Russian forces targeted Kyiv and Boryspil airports in a symbolic retaliation against upcoming US diplomatic envoys' visit. These drone strikes were the first known to directly damage airfields in years, according to Zelensky. He connected the attacks to ongoing diplomatic discussions and preparations for the American delegation's potential landing in the Ukrainian capital.

Zelensky described the Russian deployment of "Shahed" drones as a direct response to US diplomatic efforts. He assured that Ukraine would adapt its military actions concerning Russian airspace next week, while reassuring that Kyiv does not pose a threat to diplomatic activities. The overnight attacks also included strikes on an industrial facility in Kamianske, Dnipropetrovsk region, killing five people and injuring five others.

Drones also hit shopping centers in Sumy and Mykolaiv, as well as residential buildings in Kherson, Boryspil, and Kharkiv regions. The attacks on Friday and Saturday were part of a series of strikes targeting civilian infrastructure in southern and central Ukraine. In Kherson, Russian drone operators injured six civilians in Korabelnyi district on Saturday morning.

In Molodizhne, drone strikes injured three women, including a 56-year-old nurse. In Mykolaiv, consecutive drone strikes hit an Epicenter shopping center, injuring a 72-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl. These strikes followed Friday's attacks that damaged a nine-story residential building in Boryspil, Kyiv region, causing fires on the roof and upper floors.