Russian Strikes Kill Three in Ukraine as Putin Warns Europe on Troops
Russian strikes killed three civilians and wounded dozens across Ukraine, as Putin warned European troops in Ukraine would mean war with Russia.
Russian strikes killed three civilians and wounded dozens across Ukraine, local officials said Saturday, as President Vladimir Putin warned that any European troop deployment to Ukraine would amount to direct conflict with Russia.
Two people were killed and one wounded when Russian drones struck a residential area overnight in the city of Zaporizhzhia, regional head Ivan Fedorov said. In Kryvyi Rih, one person died and three others were wounded, according to local officials.
In the Black Sea port of Odesa and the surrounding region, 28 people were wounded in what regional head Oleh Kiper described as a "massive attack." A residential highrise was among the buildings hit, with its upper floors completely destroyed.
Ukraine is under mounting pressure from Russia's intensifying air campaign, which uses ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones to pierce defenses. Moscow's attacks have targeted Ukraine's power grid ahead of winter in what officials say is meant to demoralize civilians.
Speaking to reporters at the BRICS summit in India on Friday, Putin said that if European governments send troops into Ukraine, it will mean "a war with Russia." Some European leaders have pledged commitment to a potential peacekeeping force, a prospect Moscow has repeatedly described as unacceptable.
Putin also denied that Russia posed any threat to Europe, saying "there is no such threat and never has been" and that Moscow does not threaten or intend to threaten European countries.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Thursday that two incidents along Ukraine's borders with Poland and Moldova this week were a preview of potential intensified Russian provocations at Ukraine's border crossing points with Europe. Two people died when Russian drones hit the Starokozache border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova on Tuesday night, while a "direct threat" to a Polish-Ukrainian crossing point on Wednesday night was only avoided thanks to cooperation between Warsaw and Kyiv, he said.