Russia’s relentless air campaign on Kyiv enters second week as foreign minister accuses Kremlin of terrorising US businesses

Russia has maintained near-daily strikes on Kyiv for over a week, with a new attack on 3 September wounding 10 people including a child and six medical personnel, according to Kyiv’s military administration and Mayor Vitali Klitschko (Al Jazeera, 3 Sept 2026). The same day, a drone strike on a residential building in the capital killed one person, local authorities reported (Ukrainska Pravda, 3 Sept 2026).

The sustained bombardment has pushed some Kyiv residents to consider leaving the city, as the psychological toll mounts. “We are thinking about whether it’s still safe to stay,” one resident told Al Jazeera in a video report published on 1 September (Al Jazeera, 1 Sept 2026). The attacks, which have included missiles and drones, have damaged residential buildings and critical infrastructure. Ukraine’s state oil and gas company Naftogaz reported that Russian strikes on 3 September caused significant damage to its production sites, though it did not specify the location.

On 5 September, Russian forces destroyed the Epitsentr DIY shopping centre in the southern city of Mykolaiv, hitting the complex six times in a single day (Ukrainska Pravda, 5 Sept 2026). No casualty figures were immediately released, but the attack underlined the widening geographic scope of Russia’s air campaign beyond the capital.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Moscow of deliberately targeting US businesses operating in Ukraine. “Russia continues to terrorise US companies in Ukraine,” Sybiha said on 10 September, without providing specific examples (Ukrainska Pravda, 10 Sept 2026). The statement comes as Kyiv expects talks with US envoys in the coming days, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on 3 September. The discussions are expected to focus on further military aid and security guarantees.

The campaign also has a diplomatic dimension. On the same day as the Kyiv attack, a Ukrainian drone struck a bus in the Russian-controlled city of Horlivka in Donetsk region, killing one person and injuring five, according to Russian state news agency Interfax. The incident was not independently verified by Ukrainian authorities.

Strategically, the sustained strikes on Kyiv appear designed to break civilian morale and undermine confidence in the government’s ability to protect the capital. The targeting of energy infrastructure and retail sites suggests an effort to disrupt economic activity and deter foreign investment, particularly from US firms. The upcoming talks with American envoys will likely weigh how to counter this dual military-economic pressure.

As of 10 September, air raid alerts remain frequent in Kyiv. Residents are advised to stay in shelters during warnings. The city administration has not announced any plans for mandatory evacuations, but the psychological strain is evident. “We have endured so much, but this constant fear is wearing us down,” a Kyiv resident told local media.