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Russia attacks Ukraine’s Zaporizhia; Kyiv hits Russian oil refineries

Russia attacks Ukraine’s Zaporizhia; Kyiv hits Russian oil refineries

At least one person has been killed and 24 wounded, including two children, in attack that targeted Zaporizhia. Published On 30 Aug 202530 Aug 2025 A “massive” overnight Russian attack on central and southeastern Ukraine has killed at least one person, with homes and businesses damaged in multiple cities, authorities have said, while Kyiv has struck two Russian oil refineries. “At night, the enemy carried out massive strikes” on Zaporizhia, Ukraine’s state emergency service said on Telegram on Saturday. At least one person was killed and 24 others were wounded, including two children, according to regional military administration chief Ivan Fedorov. “Russian strikes destroyed private houses, damaged many facilities, including cafes, service stations and industrial enterprises,” Fedorov said. Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region also came under attack early on Saturday, the governor said, reporting strikes in Dnipro and Pavlohrad. “The region is under a massive attack. Explosions are being heard,” Serhiy Lysak wrote on Telegram, warning residents to take cover. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Dnipropetrovsk had been largely spared from intense fighting. But Kyiv acknowledged on Tuesday that Russian troops had entered the region, after Moscow claimed it had gained a foothold there. Dnipropetrovsk is not one of the five Ukrainian regions – Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Crimea – that Moscow has publicly claimed as Russian territory. The Ukrainian air force said it struck down 510 of 537 drones and 38 of 45 missiles launched by Russia in its overnight attack, adding that it recorded five missile and 24 drone hits at seven locations. Advertisement In the meantime, the Ukrainian military said that it struck Russian oil refineries overnight. The military said it recorded multiple explosions and a fire at the Krasnodar oil refinery. There was also a fire in the Syzran oil refinery area in the Samara region. Kyiv reeling from deadly attack The new Russian attacks come two days after a huge Russian drone and missile attack rocked Kyiv and its residents, one of the worst on the capital in the war now in its fourth year, which authorities said killed up to 25 people. Authorities said 22 of those killed, including four children, had been residents of an apartment building destroyed in the city’s eastern Darnytskyi district. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday said the strike, which damaged the offices of the European Union and British Council, was the second-largest attack since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. On Saturday, Zelenskyy said that Moscow had used preparation time for a summit of leaders to launch new massive attacks on his country. “The only way to reopen a window of opportunity for diplomacy is through tough measures against all those bankrolling the Russian army and effective sanctions against Moscow itself – banking and energy sanctions,” he wrote on X. Meanwhile, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Saturday that it was not possible to imagine giving back Russian assets frozen inside the bloc due to the war unless Moscow had paid reparations. “We can’t possibly imagine that … if … there is a ceasefire or peace deal that these assets are given back to Russia if they haven’t paid for the reparations,” she told reporters before a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Copenhagen. Zelenskyy has urged allies to swiftly elevate talks on security guarantees for Ukraine to the level of leaders, as EU defence ministers meeting Friday in the Danish capital pledged to train Kyiv’s troops on Ukrainian soil in the event of a truce. The Ukrainian president said he expected to continue talks with European leaders next week on “NATO-like” commitments to protect Ukraine, adding that United States President Donald Trump should also be involved. Adblock test (Why?)

India will not ‘bow down’ to US after steep tariffs, trade minister says

India will not ‘bow down’ to US after steep tariffs, trade minister says

Analysts have warned that the 50 percent duty the US has imposed on Indian goods is akin to a trade embargo. Published On 30 Aug 202530 Aug 2025 India will not “bow down” to the United States and will instead turn its attention to attracting new markets, its trade minister has said, in his first public remarks since the US’s stiff 50 percent tariffs on Indian goods took effect. Speaking at a construction industry event in New Delhi on Friday, Piyush Goyal said India was “always ready if anyone wants to have a free trade agreement with us”. But, he added, India “will neither bow down nor ever appear weak”. “We will continue to move together and capture new markets.” The remarks came as the steep tariffs on many Indian imports into the US took effect this week as punishment for New Delhi’s massive purchases of Russian oil, part of US efforts to pressure Moscow into ending its more than three-year war in Ukraine. Since his return to the White House this year, US President Donald Trump has wielded tariffs as a wide-ranging policy tool, with the levies upending global trade. The latest tariff salvo from Trump has strained US-India ties, with New Delhi earlier criticising the levies as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable”. Trade talks between the two countries have stumbled over agriculture and dairy markets. Trump wants greater US access, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is determined to shield India’s farmers, a huge voter bloc. The US was India’s top export destination in 2024, with shipments worth $87.3bn. Analysts have cautioned that a 50 percent duty is akin to a trade embargo and is likely to harm smaller firms. Exporters of textiles, seafood and jewellery have already reportedly cancelled US orders amid losses to rivals such as Bangladesh and Vietnam, raising fears of heavy job cuts. Advertisement Goyal said on Friday the government would release several measures in the coming days to support every sector and boost exports. “I can say with confidence that India’s exports this year will exceed 2024-25 numbers.” Meanwhile, days after the US tariffs on India went into effect, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, DC, has largely upheld a May decision that found Trump overstepped his authority in imposing universal tariffs on all US trading partners. Trump had invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to justify the move, claiming that trade deficits with other countries constituted a “national emergency”. But the appeals court questioned that logic in Friday’s decision, ruling overwhelmingly against the blanket tariffs. The Trump administration is expected to appeal to the Supreme Court, and the appeals court therefore said his tariff policy could remain in place until October 14. Adblock test (Why?)