Russian strikes killed five civilians and wounded dozens in Ukraine , local officials said Saturday (September 12, 2026), after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that sending European troops into Ukraine would amount to direct conflict with Russia.
Two people were killed and one wounded when Russian drones struck a residential area overnight in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, regional head Ivan Fedorov said Saturday (September 12).
The governors of the regions did not immediately comment, but the Russian independent online news outlet Astra reported drone attacks on chemical plants in both regions.
One person died and three others were wounded in strikes on Kryvyi Rih, according to local officials. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces struck two chemical industry facilities in Russia, one in Samara and one in Perm.
Putin, speaking to reporters at a summit of the BRICS group of emerging economies in India on Friday (September 11), said that if European governments send troops into Ukraine, it will mean “a war with Russia. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Thursday (September 10) that two incidents along Ukraine’s borders with Poland and Moldova this week were a preview of potential intensified Russian provocations at Ukraine’s border crossing points with Europe. Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said Saturday (September 12) that the possibility of Mr.
Mr. “Now they’re talking about how they’re considering sending troops into Ukraine. Mr. Putin attending the summit had not yet been discussed.
That means a war with Russia,” he said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov affirmed Saturday (September 12) that Russia is “ready for negotiations,” but that the so-called “special military operation,” as Moscow refers to its war in Ukraine, “will not be suspended during this period of negotiations.”
