Russian attacks killed at least three people across Ukraine overnight Friday as Kyiv said U.S. envoys are expected to visit in the coming days for renewed peace efforts, while Moscow stopped short of confirming reported meetings.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Russian strikes killed at least three people in Ukraine overnight Friday as diplomatic efforts to revive peace talks gained momentum, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying American envoys are expected in Kyiv within days.
One person was killed and at least five others, including a child, were injured during what regional officials described as a “massive” Russian attack on the Odesa region.
Regional head Oleh Kiper said multiple residential buildings were damaged, including two multistory apartment blocks.
Elsewhere, overnight Russian strikes killed two police officers in Dnipro, according to Ukrainian officials.
A drone attack in Kyiv also injured three people after striking a residential building.
The latest attacks came as Russian state news agency TASS reported Friday that U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner could travel first to Moscow and then to Kyiv on Sept. 5-6.
The reported itinerary could not be independently verified.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined Friday to confirm that Kushner and Witkoff were traveling to Moscow, telling journalists only that the media would be informed if such a meeting takes place.
U.S. officials had not immediately confirmed the reported travel plans.
Ukraine, however, says preparations for high-level diplomatic engagement are underway.
Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Thursday that preliminary dates had been established for meetings in both Moscow and Kyiv and that Ukraine’s negotiating team remained in near-constant contact with the American side.
“They confirmed they will have a meeting in Moscow and another one in Kyiv. We expect the latter to take place in the coming days. This is very important. It is important that America remain actively engaged,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Ukraine is prepared for substantive talks at a high level.
If the reported trip proceeds, it would mark Witkoff and Kushner’s first visit to Kyiv in the current round of diplomacy.
The two last traveled to Moscow in January 2026, where they met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
After that meeting, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov described the discussions as constructive but cautioned that territorial disputes remained central to any final agreement.
He said “that reaching a long-term settlement can’t be expected without solving the territorial issue.”
Diplomatic momentum subsequently slowed as the White House focused heavily on the U.S. conflict with Iran.
Putin said during a Wednesday news conference that negotiations had become “frozen.”
The latest attempt to restart talks is unfolding as the air war intensifies on both sides.
Ukraine carried out a large-scale drone attack Friday against the Russian Black Sea resort city of Sochi and the nearby district of Sirius.
Regional officials said the attack ignited a fire at an oil depot but provided few additional details.
Russian media reported that two depots were struck, with one fire in Sochi and another in Sirius.
Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian oil facilities, refineries and other economic infrastructure as part of an effort to weaken Moscow’s war capacity and impose additional financial pressure.
Those strikes have contributed to disruptions at refineries and e-commerce hubs and have increased pressure on private infrastructure operators inside Russia.
Last month, Putin issued a decree authorizing the state to temporarily seize control of critical infrastructure when private owners fail to adequately protect facilities from Ukrainian drone attacks or do not restore damaged assets after strikes.
Analysts said the measure was intended to force private companies to assume more of the financial burden for defending and rebuilding critical sites.
The regional security implications of the war also extended beyond Russia and Ukraine on Friday.
Finnish authorities said they were investigating the discovery of what appeared to be a Russian-made drone along the rocky shoreline of the Pellinge archipelago east of Helsinki.
Finland’s Border Guard identified the device as apparently being a Geoscan 701 drone manufactured by a Russian company.
“The device model in question is used by both state and civilian operators, and it is not possible at this stage to determine its intended use or identify the country or entity operating it,” the Border Guard said in a statement.
Finnish state broadcaster Yle reported that fisherman Peter Kellgren discovered the drone Tuesday.
Kellgren said it “was out there in the open sea” and appeared to have drifted ashore.
Geoscan describes itself as one of Russia’s leading drone manufacturers and says the 701 model is intended for large-scale aerial surveying.
The renewed diplomacy comes as the war enters its fifth year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russian attacks that were once concentrated largely at night are increasingly occurring during daylight hours as well, while the front line across eastern and southern Ukraine remains largely deadlocked.
Despite repeated U.S. efforts to broker a settlement, no durable path to peace has yet emerged.
The planned American engagement in Moscow and Kyiv, if it proceeds, would represent one of the clearest signs in months that Washington is attempting to revive direct diplomacy while both sides continue expanding drone and missile operations far from the front.
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