Russia launched overnight strikes against airports in Kyiv and Boryspil in what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said appeared to be a deliberate warning linked to discussions over a possible diplomatic visit by US officials.
The attacks marked the first Russian strikes on the airports for some time and came amid preparations for US representatives potentially travelling to Ukraine by air and landing in Kyiv or Boryspil.
Zelenskyy said Moscow’s decision to target the facilities appeared intended to demonstrate that Russia retained the ability to threaten diplomatic travel into Ukraine.
“There were also demonstrative Russian strikes on our airports overnight – in Kyiv and Boryspil. Deliberate, for the first time in a while. 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 and land at Kyiv Airport or Boryspil Airport,” Zelenskyy states.
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The Ukrainian president said Russia had deployed suicide drones in response to US diplomatic initiatives and warned that Kyiv would reassess aspects of its own operations concerning Russian airspace.
Zelenskyy said he and his team would make adjustments next week as drone and missile activity continued to make the skies over the region increasingly dangerous.
“Of course, there are and will be no threats to diplomacy from our side. Ukraine is interested in bringing peace closer. Russia will be held accountable for what it does. Thank you to everyone who is helping our country and the Ukrainian people!” Zelenskyy concludes.
‼️ZELENSKYY: russian strikes on Ukrainian airports are a response to discussions and preparations for a possible U.S. aircraft trip to Ukraine, including a landing at Kyiv or Boryspil Airport.
Overnight, russia demonstratively struck airports in Kyiv and Boryspil, deliberately… pic.twitter.com/3R6SoJYBRZ
— Kateryna Lisunova (@KaterynaLis) September 5, 2026
The strikes came as diplomatic efforts intensified ahead of planned visits by US representatives to both Ukraine and Russia.
Kyiv had proposed a temporary cessation of air strikes during the diplomatic engagements, with Zelenskyy indicating that Ukraine was prepared to refrain from aerial attacks to facilitate constructive discussions.
However, Moscow rejected the proposal. On September 5, the Russian Ministry of Defence reported fresh strikes against Ukrainian targets, signalling that it would not support the proposed temporary air ceasefire.
Ukraine’s military command said its forces would therefore continue defensive operations in full.
“The Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to carry out their assigned tasks to defend Ukraine in accordance with the plan,” the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s Main Communications Directorate reports.
Military officials stressed that any ceasefire would need to apply equally to both sides.
A ceasefire cannot be unilateral or asymmetric; otherwise, it would pose a danger to the lives and health of our service members. Therefore, the objectives of the defensive operation are currently being fully carried out,” the spokesperson adds.
The exchange illustrates the difficulties facing renewed diplomatic efforts to establish even limited pauses in fighting.
The "silence" lasted exactly as long as it took the Kremlin to reload. Ukraine declared a ceasefire from midnight September 5 through September 8 to give American envoys a window.
Moscow answered by sending drones and missiles into Mykolaiv Oblast and turning an Epicenter… pic.twitter.com/KJkdtNxTdy
— medoyid_ua (@LetsArmUKR) September 5, 2026
Temporary agreements covering air operations could potentially create safer conditions for diplomatic travel, particularly as discussions continue over the possibility of senior US officials travelling directly to Ukraine.
But Russia’s apparent rejection of the proposal, combined with the targeting of airports capable of receiving international delegations, threatens to complicate those plans.
For Kyiv, the strikes also carry a broader political message. By targeting Kyiv and Boryspil airports at a moment when their potential use by US representatives was under discussion, Moscow appears to be signalling its opposition to attempts to normalise international air access to Ukraine.
The episode underlines the continuing gap between diplomatic initiatives and conditions on the battlefield. While Kyiv has sought to present itself as willing to facilitate negotiations and temporary de-escalation, Ukrainian officials argue that a unilateral suspension of operations would expose their forces to unacceptable risks.
The prospect of a diplomatic breakthrough therefore remains heavily dependent on whether Moscow and Kyiv can agree even on limited reciprocal measures.
For now, the continuation of Russian strikes and Ukraine’s decision to maintain its defensive operations suggest that the planned engagement with US representatives will take place against a backdrop of continuing military escalation rather than a temporary pause in hostilities.
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