Ukraine Strikes Kill 13 as Zelensky Warns of Power Crisis This Winter
Ukraine strikes and shelling of frontline communities killed 13 people in the last 24 hours, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, as he warned that repeated Russian attacks have left the country facing winter with virtually no intact thermal power plants. [2]
Russian Strikes Kill 13 in Ukraine
Ukraine strikes hit mainly the capital and its surrounds overnight, with an AFP reporter hearing a dozen explosions after an air force warning of ballistic weapon threats from the north. [2] The attacks combined with shelling across frontline communities to kill 13 people in the past 24 hours. [2] A three-year-old boy died in a village outside Kyiv after one such strike. [2] Four more people were hospitalised: the child's parents, his 15-year-old brother, and a neighbour who came to the family's aid and was wounded in a double-tap strike. [2] Zelensky described the incidents during his visit to Belgrade. [2]
Zelensky Warns of Winter Power Crisis
Zelensky stated that Russian missiles targeted energy infrastructure, leaving Ukraine with virtually no working thermal power plants ahead of the heating season. [2] Those plants complement nuclear energy that also feeds the grid. [2] The Ukrainian leader said Moscow's attacks are aimed precisely at making the lives of Ukrainians unbearable. [2] More than four years after the start of Russia's large-scale offensive, the two warring countries are ramping up long-range strikes and causing a growing number of civilian casualties. [2] Moscow has significantly upped its attacks on the Ukrainian capital in recent months, typically firing salvos of hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles. [2]
Zelensky's Visit to Belgrade
Zelensky renewed calls for tougher sanctions on missile parts reaching Russia and for more access to interceptor missiles such as US-made Patriots. [2] He made the remarks during his first official visit to Belgrade since becoming president in 2019, speaking alongside Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. [2] The Ukrainian leader said components arrive from almost every continent, including from close partners, and then missiles strike people, killing children, civilians and soldiers. [2] Serbia remains one of the only European nations not to sanction Russia, a longtime ally of Belgrade. [2] Vucic said his government continues to supply non-military aid to Ukraine and that although the war was discussed, policy had not changed. [2] Vucic stressed that support for Ukraine's territorial integrity remains unwavering. [2] The Kremlin has accused Serbian firms of selling munitions to Ukraine, a claim Vucic has repeatedly denied. [2]
Drone Incident Near Bulgaria Pipeline
Incidents involving drones have increased across eastern European NATO members, including a Ukrainian-type drone exploding near Bulgaria's Trans-Balkan gas pipeline, which Kyiv denied intentionally directing. [1] Ukraine on Saturday denied targeting Bulgaria after the drone exploded close to the strategic pipeline linking Turkey to Ukraine near the Romanian border. [1] Bulgaria's defence ministry said the drone was of a type widely used by the Ukrainian military. [1] The foreign minister summoned the Ukrainian ambassador for a meeting on Monday. [1] Kyiv said it was in close contact with the Bulgarian side to clarify the circumstances. [1] Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhyi said the Ukrainian Armed Forces did not intentionally direct any assets toward Bulgaria. [1] Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the drone was carrying a significant amount of explosives. [1] The explosion caused no casualties, and the drone crashed into a sunflower field 1,000 metres from the pipeline's compressor station. [1] After analysing the debris, Bulgaria's defence ministry said currently nothing suggests that this was a deliberate incident. [1]
Rising Drone Activity in Eastern Europe
Romania has faced frequent drone incursions since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, including some crashes on its territory. [1] It ordered the expulsion of a Russian embassy staff member in late July. [1] Radev said that following the latest incident, Bulgaria had boosted its surveillance and would redeploy troops and soldiers to the borders to detect drones and employ anti-drone measures. [1] Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey all front onto the Black Sea, an arena of drone combat by both Ukraine and Russia. [1] Turkish officials on Tuesday said a drone attack the previous day on two civilian vessels in the Black Sea had injured crew members. [1] Turkey's foreign ministry said it was deeply concerned about the escalating conflict in the body of water. [1] Further west, a German military operational command spokesman told AFP on Saturday that drones were detected this week above an army installation in western Germany known to house a large underground depot. [1] Those sightings came days after an explosives-laden drone was found near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig-Halle airport. [1] Bulgaria in June halted its military aid to Ukraine. [1] Radev said the country did not belong in the coalition of Kyiv's allies supplying arms and that he preferred to see diplomatic efforts to end the war. [1]
What to watch next: Turkey continues to urge Russia and Ukraine to halt Black Sea strikes amid ongoing drone activity reported by Bulgaria, Romania and Germany. [3]
