At least eight people have been killed and dozens wounded in Russian strikes across Ukraine, local officials said, as President Vladimir Putin warned that
sending European troops into the country would amount to "a war with Russia". Ukraine has come under increasing pressure from Russia's air campaign, with ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones being used in attacks. Two people were killed and one wounded when Russian drones struck a residential area in Zaporizhzhia overnight, regional head Ivan Fedorov said. One person was killed and three wounded in strikes on Kryvyi Rih, according to local officials. In Odesa and the surrounding area, 35 people were wounded in what regional governor Oleh Kiper described as a "massive attack". A residential high-rise was among the buildings hit, with its upper floors completely destroyed. Three more people were killed when cars were hit by drones in Kramatorsk, in Ukraine's partially occupied Donetsk region, local officials said. Two people were also killed in a Russian attack on a grocery store in the Zhytomyr region.
Attacks Target Energy Infra
Russian attacks have also targeted Ukraine's power grid ahead of winter. Ukrainian officials have said the campaign is intended to demoralise civilians and put further pressure on the country's energy infrastructure.
Separately, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces had struck two chemical industry facilities in Russia, in Samara and Perm.
The regional governors did not immediately comment, while Russian independent online news outlet Astra reported drone attacks on chemical plants in both regions.
Putin Warns Europe
Speaking to reporters at a BRICS summit in India on Friday, Putin warned European governments against sending troops to Ukraine. "Now they’re talking about how they’re considering sending troops into Ukraine. That means a war with Russia," he said.
Some European leaders have pledged support for a potential peacekeeping force in Ukraine, a prospect Moscow has repeatedly rejected.
Putin also denied that Russia posed a threat to Europe. "There is no such threat and never has been," he said. "We do not threaten, nor do we intend to threaten, European countries."
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Thursday that two incidents near Ukraine's borders with Poland and Moldova this week could be a preview of increased Russian provocations at border crossings.
Two people were killed when Russian drones struck the Starokozache border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova on Tuesday night. Tusk said a "direct threat" to a Polish-Ukrainian crossing the following night was avoided through cooperation between Warsaw and Kyiv.
Zelensky Offers to Meet Putin
Zelensky said he would be willing to meet Putin if both leaders were invited to the G20 summit in Miami in December. The comments were made in an interview with Deutsche Welle published on Saturday.
Putin's foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said the possibility of the Russian president attending the summit had not been discussed.
The Kremlin has previously said Zelensky could travel to Moscow if he wanted to meet Putin. Kyiv has rejected the proposal. "If he really wants to meet with Putin, Putin has already said that he could fly to Moscow," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia was "ready for negotiations", but insisted that the war would continue during any talks.
The so-called "special military operation", as Moscow calls its invasion of Ukraine, "will not be suspended during this period of negotiations," he said.
