Russia launches 'massive attack' on Dnipropetrovsk

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy where the two discussed the prospect of a peace deal, Modi's office said. 

In a statement, the Indian government said Zelenskiy shared the prime minister's perspective on recent developments related to Ukraine.

Modi stressed India's support for efforts aimed at the earliest restoration of peace.

"The leaders also reviewed progress in the India-Ukraine bilateral partnership and discussed ways to further enhance cooperation in all areas of mutual interest," the statement read.

The call took place ahead of Modi's attendance at a major summit in the Chinese city of Tianjin, where Vladimir Putin will be in attendance.

"I have just spoken with Indian Prime Minister Modi about precisely what is going on. Russia is continuing the war, continuing to kill," Zelenskyy said of the call.

"It is important that the prime minister of India supports the idea that a ceasefire is needed and would be a clear signal that Russia is ready for diplomacy. We are counting on this being heard at the meeting in China," Zelenskyy added. 

Modi's statement did not touch on the subject of a ceasefire.

EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas on Saturday urged member states to submit proposals for new Russia sanctions this week, while at the same time stating that she could not imagine how or why Russia would be given back assets frozen by the EU before paying war reparations for its invasion of neighboring Ukraine.

"We can't possibly imagine that... if there is a ceasefire or peace deal… that these assets are given back to Russia if they haven't paid for the reparations," she told reporters before a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Copenhagen.

Currently, the EU says some €210 billion ($246 billion) of Russian assets are frozen in the bloc under sanctions imposed on Moscow for its February 2022 invasion.

Ukraine and some EU member states, including Poland and the Baltic nations, have called for the EU to confiscate the assets and use them to support Kyiv but France and Germany, as well as Belgium — which holds most of the assets — have rebuffed such calls, pointing out that the EU has earmarked future profits from the assets to repay support for Ukraine and questioned whether there is a legal basis to confiscate them.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Saturday said that with diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine failing to take hold, Kyiv's allies must move to thwart Russia's economic ability to wage war while at the same time supplying materiel to Ukraine so that it can stop Russia on the battlefield.
  
Speaking to state conservative party membership gathered in North Rhine-Westphalia. Merz said, "We are making every effort to bring about the end of this terrible war." 

Still, he acknowledged, "All efforts of the past weeks have been answered with an even more aggressive approach by this regime in Moscow against the population in Ukraine."

"This will also not stop until we ensure together that Russia, at least for economic reasons, and perhaps also for military reasons… can no longer continue this war."

"That is why we are working so hard with America to find a way to achieve this together," he continued, adding, "We are now pursuing a coherent foreign policy."

Merz's comments came as Russia claims it is in a non-stop offensive along the entirety of the front line separating its invading forces from Ukrainian defenders.

Russia has stepped up airstrikes on Ukrainian towns and cities far behind the front lines this summer and has only increased the intensity of attacks as US President Donald Trump has pushed for a peace deal.

A Ukrainian lawmaker who was formerly a speaker of parliament was shot and killed in the western city of Lviv on Saturday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described Andriy Parubiy's death as a "horrendous murder."

"All necessary forces and means are engaged in the investigation and search for the killer," Zelenskyy vowed.

Police said Parubiy was killed in a hail of bullets.

European Union (EU) foreign ministers are meeting in Copenhagen on Saturday to discuss support for Ukraine and ways to increase pressure on Russia, with calls for tougher sanctions and use of frozen Russian assets.

Danish Foreign Minister and host Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Vladimir Putin was "buying time" to distract from ongoing attacks and urged the EU to move from speeches to "real actions."

He called for stronger sanctions to "further pressure Russia" and suggested Ukrainian defense production plants in Europe.

Meanwhile, EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas said a "deep dive" is needed on frozen Russian assets, noting they could not simply be returned if Moscow refuses to pay reparations.

Kallas highlighted that a lot of diplomatic efforts are being made to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the table, but questioned if Russia really wants peace.

Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans called for more sanctions against Russia, and continued military support and security guarantees for Kyiv.

Brekelmans also criticized Hungary's stance as impeding Ukraine, the EU and peace efforts by the US.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Saturday that Europe must focus on fulfilling support commitments to Ukraine to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.

"The only right debate is whether and when Putin will negotiate," Wadephul said on the sidelines of the EU foreign ministers' meeting in Copenhagen.

He pointed out that ongoing Russian drone and missile strikes in Ukraine showed Moscow was not ready for talks.

The German foreign minister urged EU partners to "increase the pressure" on Putin by upholding support measures and considering further steps.

"Only fulfilled support commitments will bring Russia to the table," he said, adding that other issues should wait until then.

A large-scale Russian drone attack struck Ukraine overnight killing at least one person, the Ukrainian authorities said on Saturday.

There were reported spotting of more than 100 drones across multiple regions, with explosions heard in Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Dnipro and Kyiv.

Zaporizhzhya regional military administrator Ivan Fedorov said in a post on Telegram that one person was killed in the Russian attack.

He added that 24 people were injured and were receiving medical aid. Among the injured are three children, Fedorov said.

Some residential buildings also caught fire, he wrote.

Earlier, Ukrainian air-defense officials warned that Russian strategic bombers had taken off overnight, and later several cruise missiles were fired at Ukrainian targets.

The attacks came days after one of the deadliest strikes on Kyiv since the war began, killing at least 25 people.

Dovile Sakaliene spoke to DW about Russia's war in Ukraine and Europe's strategic dependence on the US. 

Watch the full interview with the Lithuanian defense minister.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met families of troops killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine to console their "unbearable pain", vowing to provide them "a beautiful life" in return for the sacrifice of their kin, state media said on Saturday.

Kim, at a gathering in Pyongyang on Friday, praised the "heroism" of fallen soldiers and pledged state support for their children, promising to build a monument in their memory, according to KCNA.

"I think they must have entrusted their families, including those beloved children, to me," Kim said.

"I, our state and our army will take full responsibility for them and train them admirably as staunch and courageous fighters like their fathers," he added.

North Korea had deployed thousands of troops to assist Moscow in the war with Ukraine.

According to Seoul's intelligence service estimates, about 600 North Korean soldiers have died in the Ukraine war mostly in the Kursk region.

Western intelligence agencies put total casualties at more than 6,000.

Meanwhile, Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin will be attending a military parade in Beijing to commemorate Japan's surrender in World War II next week.

Russia launched a "massive attack" early Saturday on Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk region, regional Governor Sergiy Lysak said on Telegram.

 Lysak said explosions were reported in the cities of Dnipro and Pavlograd.

"The region is under a massive attack. Explosions are being heard," Lysak wrote on Telegram, urging residents to seek shelter.

On Friday, Lysak said two people were killed in overnight Russian attacks.

Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Dnipropetrovsk has largely avoided heavy fighting.

However, earlier this week. Kyiv confirmed that Russian troops had entered the region.

Dnipropetrovsk is not one of the five regions claimed by Moscow, unlike Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Crimea.

Today’s Ukraine coverage begins with reports that Russia launched what Ukrainians have called a "massive attack" on the central Dnipropetrovsk region early Saturday.

On Friday, after meeting European Union defense and foreign affairs ministers in Copenhagen, top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas described "broad support" for a military training mission inside Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the White House on Friday reiterated President Donald Trump's hope of getting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin to sit down for ceasefire and peace negotiations, even as French President Emmanuel Macron suggested that Trump may be getting played by his Russian counterpart.

Stay tuned to our blog for the latest news, videos and analyses on Ukraine throughout the day.