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Ukrainian firefighters tackled fierce fires after Russian shelling in Zaporizhzhia targeted civilians on Saint Nicholas Day, causing widespread damage.
A Russian attack on Ukraine’s southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia has killed at least nine people and wounded close to 20 others, according to Governor of Zaporizhzhia Oblast Ivan Fedorov.Footage released by Ukraine’s State Emergency Service showed firefighters putting out fierce fires on Friday night in the aftermath of the deadly attack. Air raid alerts sounded across the city from 5 pm local time (4 pm CET) as Ukraine’s Air Force warned of more potential attacks. Fedorov says the Russian shelling of Zaporizhzhia targeted a service station, which was destroyed and caused damage to several nearby homes, businesses and vehicles on the streets.Fedorov called Russia a terrorist state as he accused them of carrying out this offensive, which targeted only civilian positions, with complete disregard for human life. The bombs struck unsuspecting civilians, many of them observing and celebrating one of Ukraine’s most festive holidays, Saint Nicholas Day. Fedorov also stated that Russian forces had shelled the city of Kryvyi Rih, which neighbours Zaporizhzhia. That attack killed two people and injured more than a dozen others as bombs targeted a residential building. “These are two Russian strikes on two Ukrainian cities in one day. Thousands of such strikes carried out by Russia during this war absolutely clearly state: Putin himself does not need real peace,” said Fedorov in a post shared on his official Telegram page.Zelenskyy to attend the re-opening of the Notre-Dame in ParisUkraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will travel to Paris upon invitation of his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to attend the re-opening of Paris’ iconic Notre-Dame cathedral. Other notable attendees include First Lady Jill Biden, who will represent US President Joe Biden, who declined the invitation a few days earlier. US President-elect Donald Trump is also attending the event and is set to hold bilateral talks with Macron on the sidelines of the celebrations. It’s Trump’s first trip abroad since winning the election last month, and the war in Ukraine is high on the agenda. Sources close to Zelenskyy say a meeting with Trump could happen in Paris, in what would be the first meeting between the two since Trump’s victory. Trump has routinely claimed during his presidential campaign that he could end the conflict and secure a ceasefire within 24 hours of taking office. He’s routinely criticised the Ukrainian president for his handling of the war. Zelenskyy and Trump did meet in late September at the former president’s New York base, Trump Tower. Trump, who’s been vocally critical of US funding and military support for Ukraine in his campaign trail, said he learned a lot from that meeting. Is Trump relaxing his hardline views on support for Ukraine?German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says he’s confident he will be able to agree with Trump on a joint strategy for Ukraine after holding a phone call with the US President-elect. “My guiding principle remains that nothing can be decided without giving the Ukrainian people a say,” said Scholz in an interview with German media outlets. The German leader said he’s spoken with Trump in detail on the topic and stressed that he’s maintaining direct contact with the incoming US president and his transition team. Scholz’s announcement followed a surprise visit to Ukraine on Monday, during which he pledged €650 million in military aid to Ukraine. He said the renewed support sends a strong signal of unity and solidarity to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, indicating that Berlin would stand by Kyiv for as long it takes.
