Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of using cluster warheads in missile strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions, hours after Moscow released an American prisoner and US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the war.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry said at least four people were killed in the overnight attacks. Zelenskyy reported that 34 others were injured, including five children, as Russian strikes hit 12 regions across the country.
“Last night, the Russians used, among other weapons against Kyiv, three ballistic missiles with cluster warheads,” Zelenskyy wrote on X on Thursday.
He said the missiles detonated in the air near their targets, scattering explosives across an area with a diameter of around 400 metres and putting civilians at risk.
Cluster munitions disperse smaller explosive devices, known as bomblets, over a wide area. More than 100 countries have banned their use under the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions. Russia and the United States are not parties to the treaty.
The attacks came after Russia released 74-year-old American Stephen Hubbard, who had been captured by Russian forces in Ukraine. Witkoff also held talks with Putin in St Petersburg, with discussions focused on possible steps towards ending the war.
Zelenskyy criticised Moscow for launching the strikes despite the latest diplomatic contacts, saying the attacks showed that Russia’s position had not changed.
“Almost immediately after another round of talks, Russia launched a pointed attack,” he said. “This means there has been no real change in its attitude toward everything that is happening.”
Russia launched waves of ballistic missiles against Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions on Thursday, while Moscow said Ukraine had sent 630 drones towards the Russian capital, as both sides continued their attacks despite renewed US efforts to bring the war to an end.
Ukraine said Russia fired at least 21 ballistic missiles at Kyiv in three waves. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said three of the missiles carried cluster munitions, which scatter smaller explosives across a wide area and pose significant risks to civilians.
Russia’s Defence Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reported missile attacks.
Meanwhile, Russian officials said Ukrainian drones targeted Moscow overnight. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said two people were wounded and most of the drones were intercepted at long range. In the Russian border region of Belgorod, Ukrainian drone attacks killed one man and injured another, local officials said.
US Push For Renewed Russia Ukraine Talks
The escalation came as diplomatic efforts continued to revive negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv. Russia said on Wednesday it was prepared to resume US-mediated talks next month after President Vladimir Putin met US envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg.
Zelenskiy has expressed hope that negotiations, which would be the first since February, could take place in early November.
Witkoff said there was “some degree of momentum” following his meetings with Zelenskiy and European and NATO officials in Oslo. However, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the proposals discussed did not fully satisfy Moscow.
A senior Russian official briefed on the Putin-Witkoff meeting described the discussions as relatively short and lacking substantive progress. According to the official, Witkoff presented Putin with proposals drafted during the Oslo discussions.
A source close to the Kremlin said the proposals included a scenario under which Ukraine would surrender the entire Donbas region to Russia in exchange for security guarantees from NATO. The reported proposal has not been confirmed as an agreed framework.
Moscow has repeatedly demanded that Ukraine surrender additional territory, limit its armed forces and permanently rule out joining military alliances. Kyiv has rejected those conditions, arguing that they would amount to capitulation and leave the country vulnerable to future attacks.
