( NYPost )
Russia pummeled Ukraine’s capital Tuesday night with multiple Iran-made Shahed attack drones just hours after the Kremlin’s top diplomat wrapped up talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia about bringing an end to the Kremlin’s three-year-old invasion of its western neighbor.
The Post witnessed multiple explosions above the Intercontinental Kyiv hotel, where dignitaries and VIPs often stay due to its proximity to Ukrainian government buildings and foreign embassies, which are heavily protected by air defense systems and considered the safest locations in the city.
Drone interceptions by the Ukrainian Armed Forces lit up the night sky near the iconic golden domes of St. Michael’s Monastery, while dozens of booms could also be heard across Kyiv shortly before 11 p.m. local time.
It was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties or how many projectiles were intercepted.
The Ukrainian Air Force warned on Telegram that “several dozen enemy strike [drones]” had been detected in its air space Tuesday night, heading toward several different cities.
Russian drone and missile strikes are a common occurrence across Ukraine, usually targeting infrastructure like industrial buildings and energy facilities.
Tuesday’s attack followed the launch of 176 drones by Moscow into Ukrainian airspace, according to Kyiv’s air force. That number nears the all-time high set in November, when Russia launched 188 drones into Ukraine in a single night.
Monday’s attack struck at least one high-rise residential building in the central city of Dolynska, injuring a mother and her two children and forcing evacuations, according to Reuters.
More than 12,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion, according to the United Nations.
Earlier Tuesday, a US delegation led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and national security adviser Michael Waltz met with a Russian negotiating team and agreed to start working toward ending the nearly three-year-long war.
Rubio told reporters after the meeting that both sides agreed to improve diplomatic relations; set up high-level negotiating teams for future peace talks; lay the groundwork for future geopolitical and economic cooperation; and continue the discussions that began Tuesday in Riyadh.
There were no Ukrainian officials present at the meeting.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has indicated that he will not agree to any deals made between Washington and Moscow if his nation’s representatives aren’t included in talks.
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