Russian strike in Donbas kills 30 civilians
A single Russian strike in Donbas has killed 30 people. Zelenskyy vowed it would not go unanswered, while U.S. Secretary of State Rubio sees no prospect of a negotiated settlement.
A Russian strike in Donbas has killed 30 people. Ukraine describes it as an attack on civilians, and Zelenskyy has declared that the strike will not go unanswered.
Zelenskyy said Russia is trying to destroy all life in Donbas. In his view, the world must respond forcefully, in the way he says Russians deserve for all the deaths they have caused.
Moscow's position
Moscow has so far issued no statement on the latest strike. Russia has repeatedly denied targeting Ukrainian civilians. It claims that a key objective of its invasion is to protect Russian speakers in Donbas from what it calls genocide conducted by Ukraine. On Oct. 1, President Vladimir Putin said Russia would "liberate" Donbas much sooner than Ukraine expects.
Prospects for talks
In an interview on Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there currently does not seem to be any prospect of a negotiated settlement. According to him, Russia is making full control of Donetsk a condition, which Ukraine rejects as unacceptable.
Second deadly attack in two days
The latest strike came just a day after a Russian missile hit a residential building in Pryluky, killing 22 people and injuring more than 50. Since August, Moscow has launched a wave of retaliatory attacks in response to Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries and marketplaces.
