News blog about the Ukraine warRussia and Ukraine continue air strikes
September 5, 2026, 11:31 p.m.|
The ceasefire ordered by the Russian president only applies to Kiev as long as US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner hold talks there. Other targets continue to be attacked.
All developments in the live blog
Much information about the course of the war, such as casualty numbers or details about fighting, comes from Ukrainian or Russian authorities and cannot be independently verified. In addition to our own research, we use material from the news agencies dpa, Reuters, epd, KNA and Bloomberg for our live blog.
Important updates
Kremlin calls Trump envoy's trip an 'important peace visit'
Zelensky: Russia shells Kiev airports before US visit
Zelensky: Kushner and Witkoff are coming to Kyiv on Sunday
Russian drone hits secret service headquarters in Kyiv
Norway seizes Russian ship in Arctic
Russia and Ukraine continue air strikes
The three-day ceasefire that Vladimir Putin ordered from Saturday to Monday only affects the Ukrainian capital Kiev. This is intended to ensure that US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy there, are not threatened by Russian air strikes. The two Americans have already been to Russia several times for talks, but are now visiting Kiev for the first time to negotiate peace between Russia and Ukraine.
However, air strikes on other targets were not suspended. Ukraine, for example, attacked the Russian oil refinery in Ryazan, and explosions were reported in the Rostock-on-Don area.
Kremlin calls Trump envoy's trip an 'important peace visit'
The new talks on the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine between Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin and US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, which were scheduled at short notice, have come to an end in Moscow. After about three hours of discussions, the meeting ended. According to a White House official, concrete plans for next steps in the Ukraine war talks were discussed. These will be announced in the coming weeks.
The Kremlin described the meeting as “useful” and “constructive.” Putin told the envoys that Russia would achieve its goals and that the root causes of the conflict must be resolved. Putin had said exactly that several times before. Russia also presented its assessment of the situation at the front. High-ranking Russian government official Kirill Dmitriev described the trip as an “important peace visit.”
The envoys will now travel to Kiev, where they will be received by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this Sunday. The visit is to take place under the protection of the local, three-day ceasefire declared by Zelensky and Putin. Moscow has pledged to refrain from air strikes against the Ukrainian capital for the safety of US envoys.
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov, the US negotiators had new proposals in their luggage. Peskov did not give any details. Trump also said that Witkoff and Kushner would come with a proposal. The previous talks between Putin and Trump's envoys had led to direct negotiations between Russians and Ukrainians. However, they first stalled and then were stopped - also because Witkoff and Kushner have been primarily occupied with Trump's war against Iran in recent months.
You can read more about the topic here:
Russia suspends attacks on Kyiv for three days
While the US negotiators are visiting Moscow, Ukraine announced that it would not endanger Russian airspace. Now Russian head of state Vladimir Putin has ordered a three-day halt to air strikes on the Ukrainian capital Kiev. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced this in Moscow, as reported by the state news agency Tass. The break in attacks will apply for three days from the beginning of Sunday. After their visit to Moscow, US mediators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to Ukraine for the first time from Sunday.
Before the visit of the US mediators: dead in air strikes on Ukraine
Four people were killed in a Russian airstrike in the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine ahead of a US mediation mission in the Ukraine war. The attack hit an industrial plant in the city of Kamianske, regional governor Olexander Hanscha said on Telegram. There were six injured. Steel producer Metinvest said production facilities and infrastructure were damaged and all operations were therefore stopped. “This is a new attack on a Metinvest civilian steel production facility and further evidence of Russia's systematic attacks on Ukrainian industry,” the company explains. The steelworks hit produced pig iron and steel exclusively for civilian purposes. The Russian military in Moscow spoke of an attack on a large metal combine that supplies the Ukrainian defense industry. Impacts by Russian drones were also reported in the Kyiv area during the night.
However, 59 Ukrainian drones were repelled over Russia during the night, as the Defense Ministry in Moscow announced. The comparatively low number suggests that Ukraine is, as announced, observing a ceasefire due to the visit of US mediators.
Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, are reportedly expected in Moscow this Saturday. They are scheduled to visit Kiev for the first time tomorrow, Sunday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced.
Zelensky: Russia shells Kiev airports before US visit
Shortly before the expected visit of US negotiators to Kiev, Russian armed forces shelled the capital's airports, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Zhuliany and Boryspil airports were demonstratively attacked for the first time in some time, he wrote on social networks.
Zelenskiy implied that Moscow wanted to spread uncertainty before the Americans arrived. “The Russian hits on the airports are a response to the discussions and preparations for the US side to come to Ukraine by plane and land at Kiev airport or Boryspil,” he wrote. Ukraine will plan its drone attacks to paralyze Russian air traffic next week accordingly, he threatened. There had already been reports of a Russian drone attack on Schuljany on Friday. Nothing was known about any damage or injuries.
Civilian air traffic in Ukraine has been at a standstill since the beginning of the major Russian invasion in 2022. For Witkoff to fly safely to Kiev, Ukrainian permits but also Russian security guarantees would be required. Zhuliany is the old airport of the Ukrainian capital and is located in the city area. When it became too small, a new international airport was built in the district town of Boryspil, about 20 kilometers east of Kiev.
Five dead in Ukrainian attack in Russian-controlled Luhansk region
Five people have been killed in Ukrainian attacks in the Russian-controlled part of the Luhansk region of Ukraine in the past 24 hours. Leonid Pasechnik, the Russian-appointed governor, said five more people were injured in the occupied territory. Such reports about the fighting cannot be independently verified.
Ceasefire agreed to repair nuclear power plant
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has again negotiated a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia to allow repairs to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi announced that repair work would begin on Saturday after demining work had been carried out. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the cooling systems of the Russian-occupied plant could be affected by a blackout within days, the IAEA warned on Platform
The largest nuclear power plant in Europe came under Russian control shortly after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. The six reactors are shut down, but the plant needs electricity to cool the radioactive material and prevent a nuclear accident. The last remaining line into the power plant was interrupted during fighting on August 20th. Since then, the plant has relied on diesel generators, but fuel is running low, according to the IAEA. Before the conflict, the power station had ten external power lines.
Zelensky: Kushner and Witkoff are coming to Kyiv on Sunday
The two US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected in Kiev on Sunday, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. US President Donald Trump confirmed this. Accordingly, the envoys will also travel to Moscow. In the Trump administration, the businessmen are responsible for efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Due to security concerns, it was not clear until recently whether the trip planned for the weekend by US President Donald Trump's two negotiators would take place. According to insiders, the US government initially demanded guarantees that Ukraine would not attack Moscow during the envoy's stay and that Russia would spare Kiev in return. The US mediators have visited Moscow several times since 2025 but have never been to Kiev for their mediation efforts.
Russian drone hits secret service headquarters in Kyiv
The Russian army attacked the main building of the Ukrainian secret service SBU in the center of the capital Kiev with a drone. “The drone aimed directly at the office of the head of the SBU in this building,” President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Telegram. The head of state therefore instructed SBU boss Olexander Poklad to respond to the Russians in a “mirror image” to this blow. According to Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko, five people were injured. Thick black smoke rises above the building that was hit.
According to the Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russian units attacked two cargo ships in the Black Sea this morning. The Defense Ministry in Moscow said they had weapons, ammunition and other military equipment on board for Ukraine. In addition, Russia attacked the southern Ukrainian region of Odessa again during the night. The Ukrainian Ministry of Energy is therefore warning of possible network restrictions. Odessa Governor Oleh Kiper earlier said one person was killed in the attack. At least five people were injured.
Thick smoke rises above the headquarters of the Ukrainian secret service SBU in Kiev. The building was damaged in a Russian drone attack. Gleb Garanich/Reuters
Lucia Geier
Authorities: Fire in oil depot in Sochi after Ukrainian drone attack
An oil depot in the Russian Black Sea port of Sochi burns after a Ukrainian drone attack. The Russian authorities in the Krasnodar region announced this via the short message service Telegram.
Russian authorities report deaths after Ukrainian shelling in Belgorod region
According to authorities, at least four people were killed by Ukrainian shelling in the Russian border region of Belgorod. Three others were injured, the acting governor of the western Russian region, Alexander Shuvayev, said on Telegram. The victims were traveling in an ambulance in the city of Shebekino. Shebekino is only around five kilometers from the Russian-Ukrainian border.
Zelenskiy hopes that US negotiators will arrive soon
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expects US mediators to arrive “in the next few days”. “We are counting on seeing the representatives of the President of the USA here in Kiev,” the head of state said in a video message. There is confirmation from the Americans for meetings in Moscow and Kyiv. “It is very important that America remains active,” emphasized Zelenskiy. Kyiv is ready for a substantive exchange at a high level. The Ukrainian negotiating team is in contact with Washington virtually around the clock.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner have been expected in Ukraine for months for talks on an end to the Russian-Ukrainian war that has been going on since 2022. However, there have already been several negotiations in Moscow, which caused Zelensky's displeasure in April.
Russian hit on large medicine warehouse near Kyiv
According to media reports, a large medicine warehouse in the Ukrainian city of Boryspil near Kiev was damaged by a Russian airstrike. The Internet portal Ukrayinska Pravda wrote that it is one of the largest specialized pharmaceutical warehouses in Ukraine. The military governor of the Kiev region, Tymur Tkachenko, confirmed as usual only one hit on a warehouse, without giving details. He wrote on Telegram about an injured person.
The Russian army has been increasing attacks on food distribution centers, frozen storage facilities, online retailer shipping centers and hardware stores in Ukraine for some time. This in turn attacked many shipping centers of the Russian online giants Wildberries and Ozon.
Norway seizes Russian ship in Arctic
A Russian ship was confiscated by Norwegian authorities off the Spitsbergen archipelago. The Ukrainian state energy company Naftogaz had previously submitted a corresponding application, as the authorities in Svalbard announced. The background to this is an earlier decision by an arbitration court that obliged Russia to pay compensation of around 4.2 billion US dollars (around 3.6 billion euros). Moscow is now accusing Norway of piracy.
According to information, the ship Professor Molchanov was confiscated on Wednesday by order of a court and is now in port until further notice. “The legal process and ruling are part of the company’s fight to recover funds expropriated by Russia in 2014,” the statement said.
According to Naftogaz, this concerns assets on the Russian-annexed Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which were expropriated as a result of the Russian annexation in 2014. The company had large assets there
