A flurry of Russian missiles greeted a delegation of African leaders who arrived in Kiev on Friday to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia.
The high-level diplomatic team hopes to bring to the table the voice of a continent that has suffered immensely due to the war as food prices soar.
The African delegation arrived by train from Poland on Friday morning and began their visit in Bucha, a town outside the capital that has become a symbol of the alleged war crimes carried out by Moscow.
The delegation scheduled to hold talks with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky comprises South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa, Senegal's Macky Sall, Zambia's Hakainde Hichilema and Comoros' Azali Assoumani, who heads the African Union.
The leaders of Uganda, Egypt and Congo-Brazzaville pulled out of the visit at the last moment and sent representatives instead.
Shortly after their arrival in the Kiev region was announced, air raid sirens sounded in Kiev and across the country, and air defences activated, AFP reports.
Air raids
The Ukrainian Air Force said it had shot down 12 missiles, including six hypersonic Kinzhal missiles.
There were no reported damage inside the city, but three people were wounded in the surrounding region, the Interior ministry said.
The South African president "arrived safely in Kiev" along with other leaders, his spokesman Vincent Magwenya said in a video message on Twitter.
"We are now awaiting the commencement of talks with President Zelensky." The leaders would, thereafter, travel to the northwestern Russian city of St. Petersburg to meet Putin.
Ukrainian officials have voiced skepticism over the visit as they say no negotiations with Russia are possible.
They were quick to highlight that Russia did not cease strikes during the high-profile visit. "Russian missiles are a message to Africa: Russia wants more war, not peace," Kuleba said.
The African continent has been badly hit by rising grain and fertiliser prices and the wider impact on global trade since Russia invaded Ukraine last year.
Road to peace
Magwenya said the leaders' mission "serves to seek a road to peace that will alleviate the suffering that is being experienced by people in Ukraine".
African countries have been divided over their response to the war, with some siding with Ukraine, while others have remained neutral, or gravitated towards Moscow.
Analysts told AFP the African mission's chances to secure a proper peace look incredibly thin, with both Kiev and Moscow convinced they can win on the battlefield.
Still, analysts said the mediating effort could hope to win some concessions from the Kremlin ahead of a Russia-Africa summit next month.
Both Russia and Ukraine have stepped up their diplomatic initiatives. with African countries divided over their response to the war, with Kuleba embarking on two diplomatic tours on the continent.
While invading Ukraine, Putin has portrayed Russia as a bulwark against the West, which he also accuses of blocking Russian exports of fertilisers.
South Africa has drawn scrutiny as it has refused to condemn the offensive launched by Moscow.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Russia has seen "very dynamic development recently of our relations with African states".
"This trajectory in Russia's foreign policy will continue and gain momentum," Peskov told journalists, RIA Novosti news agency reported.
The mission comes as South Africa is looking to burnish its international credentials after the White House voiced concern about its relationship with Russia.
"(Russian President Vladimir) Putin 'builds confidence' by launching the largest missile attack on Kiev in weeks, exactly amid the visit of African leaders to our capital," Ukraine's Foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said.
