RUSSIAN AIR STRIKES KILL TWO IN KYIV AS ATTACKS INTENSIFY

Russian air strikes killed at least two people and injured seven others in Kyiv on the morning of 7 September, according to reports from the Ukrainian capital. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the strikes employed ballistic missiles and left six people injured, with residents trapped in residential buildings and fires reported across the city. The Kyiv Military Administration stated that a five-storey apartment building and a three-storey residential block sustained damage from falling debris. Poland, a NATO and European Union member, initiated military aviation operations to protect its airspace following the explosions heard in Kyiv.

The strikes resumed shortly after US peace envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner departed Kyiv following meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday. BBC analysis of government figures shows that Kyiv is experiencing more daily air raid alerts than at any point since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022. Since round-the-clock Russian attacks began at the end of August, air raid sirens have sounded across Kyiv on average 10 times daily, with the seven days from 27 August recording 76 alerts. Russia has shifted tactics to strike the capital during daylight hours rather than primarily at night, causing widespread disruption to schools, businesses and public transport.

The frequency of attacks has forced the Ukrainian government to plan a new two-tier warning system to allow people to continue working, travelling and studying based on the scale of threat. Newer Russian attack drones powered by jet engines, capable of flying at approximately 595 kilometres per hour, are three times faster than older propeller-driven Shahed drones and prove harder to intercept. Residents report struggling to adapt to the constant disruptions, with air raid alerts lasting from minutes to nearly four and a half hours.