8 killed, dozens wounded in Russian strikes on Ukraine as Putin warns Europe against sending troops

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian strikes killed eight civilians and wounded dozens of other people in Ukraine, local officials said Saturday, after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that sending European troops into Ukraine would amount to direct conflict with Russia.Ukraine is under mounting pressure from Russia’s intensifying air campaign that uses ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones to pierce defenses.Moscow’s attacks have targeted Ukraine’s power grid ahead of winter in what officials say is meant to demoralize civilians.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.One person died and three others were wounded in strikes on Kryvyi Rih, according to local officials.In the Black Sea port of Odesa and the surrounding area, 35 people were wounded overnight in what regional head Oleh Kiper called a “massive attack.” Among the buildings hit was a residential high-rise, whose upper floors were completely destroyed.Three people were killed on Saturday when cars were hit by drones in Kramatorsk in Ukraine’s partially occupied Donetsk region, along with a further two people in a Russian attack on a grocery store in the Zhytomyr region, local officials said.Separately, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces struck two chemical industry facilities in Russia, one in Samara and one in Perm.

The governors of the regions did not immediately comment, but Russian independent online news outlet Astra reported drone attacks on chemical plants in both regions.Putin, speaking to reporters at a summit of the BRICS group of emerging economies in India on Friday, said that if European governments send troops into Ukraine, it will mean “a war with Russia.”“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 their commitment...