Ukraine-Russia War Latest: Putin does not want a ceasefire, says Zelensky after 16 killed in drone attacks

The death toll in Russian attacks on the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih rose to 19 last night, including nine children, local officials said.

Photos sent online showed bodies of the dead, including the elderly, and the wound lying on the sidewalk as gray smoke rose in the sky.

Rescue workers struck through the night with flashlights in Kryvyi Rih, moving around in broken cars, buildings with broken windows and a gaping crater. Residents transported arm loads of foil and wood for repair of emergency homes, according to a Reuters eyes.

At least 50 people were injured, the relief helps said, adding that the number was growing. More than 30 people, including a three -month -old baby, were in the hospital, said regional governor Serhiy Lysak.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed that it was targeting a military collection there, but did not explain the death of children and an infant.

“There were dead children there, crying parents, it was terrible,” Yulia (47) told Reuters as she examined the damaged blinds, fixtures and furniture in her apartment.

Britain and France on Friday blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin of pulling their feet in truce -talk that aimed to stop his country’s invasion of Ukraine and demanded a quick reaction from Moscow after weeks of US efforts to secure a ceasefire.

Russia has effectively rejected an American proposal for a full and immediate 30-day stop in the matches. A Kremlin official said Monday that Moscow is looking at the efforts to end his more than three-year war with Ukraine as “a drawn process.”

“Our verdict is that Putin continues to obscure himself, continues to pull their feet,” British Foreign Secretary David Lammy told journalists at the NATO headquarters and stood with his French colleague Jean-Noel Barrot in a symbolic show of unity.

Although Russia was not included in Donald Trump’s sweeping global customs measures, which he revealed earlier this week, the Kremlin is preparing to take “extra measures” minimizes damage.

Moscow said it should do what it can to protect its economy from the turbulence that customs will bring to the global market.

“We see quite a high level of turbulence in international markets,” said the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “We hear very unfavorable forecasts from various economists, including world -renowned economists who are pessimistic to this latest news.”

He said that while the Russian economy was robust, thanks to the government’s efforts, “additional efforts” would be necessary to protect it from customs. He did not specify what these efforts would be.

“Let’s just say that with a storm like this we have to be very careful to minimize the negative effects on our economy,” Peskov said.

Vladimir Putin does not want a ceasefire, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said when 16 was killed in a drone attack on Kryvyi Rih.

Mr. Zelensky said, “People die every day. There is only one reason why this continues: Russia does not want a ceasefire and we see it. The whole world sees it.”

He said rescue operations were underway in the central city, where regional governor Serhii Lysak added that at least 50 people were injured.

The United States will know within weeks of whether Vladimir Putin is serious with peace, US State Secretary Marco Rubio has said – with Washington’s NATO allies accusing Russia of stalking a ceasefire.

Donald Trump and his White House officials have reportedly been on duty against Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin’s obligation to peace in Ukraine – despite the US president having insisted in weeks that Putin was serious to reach a ceasefire.

When he spoke at the end of a two-day meeting with NATO Foreign Ministers, Mr. Rubio said: “We will soon know in a few weeks, not months, whether Russia is serious with peace or not. I hope they are.

“If this pulls things out, President Trump will not fall into the trap of endless negotiations on negotiations,” Mr. Rubio said.

Russia has placed Elton John’s charity with a focus on HIV/AIDS prevention on its list of “unwanted organizations,” the prosecutor’s office said on Thursday.

The office mocked what it described as the charity’s “promotion of non-traditional sexual conditions”.

Elton John AIDS Foundation, launched in 1992, works in over 90 countries “to increase access to health care, tackle LGBTQ+ stigma and final aids”.

The fund created by the singer and songwriter is a previous clash with Russian authorities over LGBTQ+ rights. Sir Elton, who has appeared in Russia, has criticized what he considers the discrimination of gay people by the Russian government.

In the statement from Russian prosecutors, they said the charity is “focused on promoting non-traditional sexual conditions, Western family models and gender allocation.”