3 Killed in Russian Strikes as Putin Warns Europe Over Troop Deployments
Russian air strikes kill 3 and wound dozens in Ukraine as President Vladimir Putin warns that deploying European troops will trigger direct war.
POLICY WIRE — Kyiv, Ukraine — Recent Russian aerial bombardments have left three civilians dead and dozens wounded across Ukraine. Local authorities confirmed the casualties on Saturday following an escalation in attacks utilizing ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones.
Regional head Ivan Fedorov reported that overnight drone strikes in Zaporizhzhia claimed two lives and injured another person in a residential zone. Additional local officials confirmed that a separate strike in Kryvyi Rih resulted in one fatality and three injuries.
In the Black Sea port city of Odesa, regional administrator Oleh Kiper described a massive assault that wounded 35 individuals. The bombardment heavily damaged a residential high-rise, completely destroying its upper levels as Moscow continues targeting national infrastructure ahead of winter.
Addressing reporters on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in India on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a stern warning regarding international intervention. He stated that any move by European governments to deploy troops into Ukraine would directly equate to a war with Russia.
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Putin specifically addressed ongoing discussions about potential peacekeeping coalitions, emphasizing that Moscow views such proposals as entirely unacceptable. He maintained that Russia harbours no aggressive intentions toward Europe and has never posed a threat to the continent.
Highlighting recent border incidents, Putin noted that a Tuesday night drone strike struck the Starokozache crossing between Ukraine and Moldova, killing two people. He added that close security cooperation between Warsaw and Kyiv successfully averted a direct threat to a Polish-Ukrainian crossing point on Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy indicated in a Saturday interview with Deutsche Welle that he would be willing to meet Putin if both leaders receive invitations to the upcoming Group of 20 summit in December in Miami. Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov responded by noting that the possibility of Putin’s attendance has not yet been formally discussed.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
