Kyiv is again under massive attack: Russia resumed attacks after a three-day pause

After a three-day breakwhich coincided with the visit of American negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared KushnerRussia again launched a massive missile and drone strike on Kyiv and other regions of Ukraine.

At night and in the morning of September 8, a series of powerful explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital. Fires broke out in several areas, damaging residential buildings, a dormitory, a school, a clinic, warehouses and other facilities.

According to the latest data from the mayor of Kyiv Vitaliy Klitschko, there were deaths in the capital five peoplealmost 30 were injured. The number of victims was clarified during the day as rescuers worked.

Large-scale, combined Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv.

At least 26 missiles (16 Iskander-Ms/S-400s, 6 Kn-23s, & 2 Zircons) have targeted the city. Of these, 2 Kn-23s were shot down. 2 Oniks supersonic cruise missiles targeted Chornomorsk (Odesa Oblast), while 2… pic.twitter.com/gQsMkcT5GD

– AMK Mapping ?? (@AMK_Mapping_) September 8, 2026

Reuters reports that strikes continued during the day, including the use of fast jet drones.

Not “50 missiles on Kyiv”: what official data say

In the first hours of the attack, monitoring channels contained reports of more than 50 Russian missilesallegedly aimed specifically at Kyiv.

However, the official summary of the Ukrainian Air Force gives a different, more accurate picture.

Overnight, Russia used the following on Ukrainian territory:

• 32 cruise missiles X-101 and Iskander-K;
• ballistic missile types Iskander-M, KN-23 and S-400;
• anti-ship missiles “Onyx”;
• 166 attack dronesincluding Shahed and jet drones.

The main directions of attack were the Kyiv and Odessa regions.

Over 50 missiles at struck Kyiv with many more hitting surrounding areas in Kyiv Oblast.

It’s a mixture of Iskander ballistic missiles and Zircon cruise missiles.

Ukraine’s interception rate is ≈20%

Russian drones are circling the skies monitoring the strikes without being… pic.twitter.com/QS3BL8NWBO

— Ethan Levins ✝️ (@EthanLevins2) September 8, 2026

Ukrainian air defense said it was able to shoot down or suppress 175 air targets: 31 cruise missiles, two ballistic or anti-ship missiles and 142 drones.

At the same time, missiles and drones were recorded hitting 29 points.

“Zircon” has not yet been confirmed

Information about the use of a hypersonic missile also appeared in publications of individual military channels. “Zircon”.

However, in the official Ukrainian report for the night of September 8, “Zircon” not specified.

The air force names are Oniks, Iskander-M, S-400, KN-23, X-101 and Iskander-K.

Therefore, at the moment it is premature to talk about the use of Zircon in this particular attack as an established fact.

Strike immediately after the diplomatic pause

The moment of its delivery gives particular significance to the current blow.

Moscow and Kyiv stopped attacks on the capital regions for three days during the trip of American special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

They first held negotiations in Moscow, and then arrived in Kyiv and met with Vladimir Zelensky.

“Athens News” analyzed these negotiations in detail in the material “The mission of Witkoff and Kushner: why the world is again stuck in Donbass and winter”.

No breakthrough has been achieved, although Zelensky said on September 8 that American mediators had presented several “worthy and interesting ideas”.

Almost immediately after the end of the pause, massive strikes resumed.

Kyiv was burning again

AFP journalists in the Ukrainian capital reported a series of strong explosions and plumes of smoke over the city.

According to Ukrainian authorities, at least 14 multi-story buildingshostel, school, medical facility and storage facilities.

In addition, a Russian drone partially destroyed the building of one of the Ukrainian TV channels. Vladimir Zelensky said that there were casualties as a result of this strike.

EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Maternova described what happened briefly:

“Kyiv exploded and burned.”

Moscow announces strikes on military targets

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the targets of the massive strike were enterprises of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex, logistics centers, warehouses and military facilities in Kyiv and the Kyiv region.

The Russian side also reported attacks on port infrastructure in the Odessa region.

Ukrainian authorities, in turn, point to numerous damage to residential and civilian facilities.

It is impossible to independently determine the purpose of each damaged object in an ongoing war.

The blows fell not only on Kyiv

At least eight other regions of Ukraine were simultaneously attacked.

In the Sumy region, a Russian drone hit a passenger train. About 100 people had to be evacuated.

In Zaporozhye, a railway worker was killed as a result of a repeated attack on a railway facility.

In the Odessa region, casualties were reported after an attack on a market.

In the Kyiv region outside the capital, two more people died.

The ballistics problem is becoming more acute

Ukraine says it has been able to destroy almost all cruise missiles, but the situation with ballistic targets remains much more difficult.

Foreign Minister Andrei Sibiga again called on Western countries to urgently transfer additional interceptor missiles for Patriot systems.

Athens News has already written about the consequences of the shortage of such interceptors in an article “The shortage of Patriot missiles has cost Kyiv dearly”.

Today, Germany announced the urgent transfer of additional Patriot PAC-2 missiles from its own reserves to Ukraine.

Three days of silence didn’t change anything

The three-day pause itself was an unusual episode.

Residents of Kyiv told Reuters that during the arrival of American mediators, the city felt relative calm for the first time in a long time.

But this respite ended immediately after the delegation left.

And this is precisely what makes the current blow politically significant.

On the one hand, Moscow allows for the resumption of negotiations with Ukraine and the United States.

On the other hand, the military campaign continues without a noticeable decrease in intensity.

For Kyiv, this means that the diplomatic process has not yet been accompanied by real military de-escalation.

We discussed Russia’s general transition to almost continuous air pressure on Kyiv and Odessa earlier in the material “Why Russia switched to continuous strikes on Kyiv and Odessa”.

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