Ukraine updates: Russian strikes kill 5 in southern areas

Russian troops are making attempts at advancing in areas of the Kursk region currently under Ukrainian control, Kyiv’s top general said on Monday.

General Oleksandr Syrskyi said on the Telegram messaging app that Russia has amassed tens of thousands of soldiers in the region that borders Ukraine.

“Following the order of their military leadership, they are trying to dislodge our troops and advance deep into the territory we control,” Syrskyi said.

In August, Ukrainian forces advanced into Russia’s southwestern border Kursk region, taking control of dozens of towns and villages.

The Ukrainian air force was put on high alert Monday after reports of bomber sorties taking off from Russian territory. 

This was the first report of a large number of bombers taking off from Russian territory in more than two months.

Anticipating a large-scale attack, Ukraine imposed preventative power outages and advised people to seek shelter.

Parts of Kyiv and other regions experienced power cuts, and many residents took gathered in metro stations which serve as bomb shelters.

“The air alert is related to the launch of cruise missiles from Tu-95MS strategic bombers,” the air force said on its Telegram channels. However, hours after the alert was issued, the bombing raid appeared to not have materialized.

According to some Ukrainian military bloggers, Russian bombers were imitating missile launches.

Russian air strikes overnight killed at least five people and injured 19, including five children, in southern Ukraine, local officials said on Monday.

The governors of the Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia regions confirmed the deaths on the Telegram messaging app.

Four deaths occurred in Mykolaiv, where several buildings caught fire, and one person was killed in Zaporizhzhia, where a residential building was destroyed, the officials said.

Ivan Fedorov, Zaporizhzhia region governor, said 18 people were injured, including five children.

Both regions faced drone and air attacks starting Sunday evening, with Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia under air raid alerts for most of the night.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia fired 145 drones at Ukraine overnight Saturday into Sunday. This marked the largest single nighttime attack of the conflict so far.

ss/xx (Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he aims to resume dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin “soon” to discuss the Ukraine conflict.

Scholz was talking at a Sunday evening talk show on public broadcaster ARD.

“Yes, I have resolved to speak to the Russian president at the right time,” the chancellor said.

“But I am a responsible politician, I don’t do it alone,” Scholz said, implying that any dialogue with Russia would require coordination with other parties and consultations with Ukraine.

He stressed the importance of supporting Ukraine and preventing escalation.

Scholz said there is a need to see if “this war will go on forever or if we can find ways to end it.”

“Ukraine can rely on us and others and does not have to fear being left alone,” he said

In his last conversation with Putin in December 2022, the German leader called for a diplomatic solution and withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.

Scholz also spoke with US president-elect Donald Trump and the two leaders “agreed to work together towards a return to peace in Europe,” according to the chancellor’s spokesperson.

US President-elect Donald Trump has spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine in a phone call reported by the Washington Post on Sunday. 

The newspaper, citing several people familiar with the call who spoke on the basis of anonymity, reported that Trump had reminded Putin of the sizable US military presence in Europe.

The Post also reported that Trump was keen to have further conversations to talk about “the resolution” of the war soon. 

On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied the report that a phone call took place. 

Trump has criticized the scale of military and financial support for Kyiv under US President Joe Biden’s administration, while the soon-to-be president has vowed to end the war quickly, without specifying how.

Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday shortly after his election victory was confirmed.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry said it was not informed in advance of the call between Trump and Putin.

ss/wmr (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)