Russia launches ‘massive attack’ on Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region

Russia launched a “massive attack” early Saturday on Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region Authorities on Friday said two people were killed in Dnipropetrovsk in overnight Russian attacks
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un meets families of soldiers killed in Ukraine
At least one killed in large-scale Russian drone strikes
This is a roundup of news and analysis on Russia’s war in Ukraine on Saturday, August 30.
Lithuania’s defense minister: ‘We will never trust Russia’
Dovile Sakaliene spoke to DW about Russia’s war in Ukraine and Europe’s strategic dependence on the US.
Watch the full interview with the Lithuanian defense minister.
Kim meets families of soldiers killed in Ukraine
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met families of troops killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine to console their “unbearable pain”, vowing to provide them “a beautiful life” in return for the sacrifice of their kin, state media said on Saturday.
Kim, at a gathering in Pyongyang on Friday, praised the “heroism” of fallen soldiers and pledged state support for their children, promising to build a monument in their memory, according to KCNA.
“I think they must have entrusted their families, including those beloved children, to me,” Kim said.
“I, our state and our army will take full responsibility for them and train them admirably as staunch and courageous fighters like their fathers,” he added.
North Korea had deployed thousands of troops to assist Moscow in the war with Ukraine.
According to Seoul’s intelligence service estimates, about 600 North Korean soldiers have died in the Ukraine war mostly in the Kursk region.
Western intelligence agencies put total casualties at more than 6,000.
Meanwhile, Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin will be attending a military parade in Beijing to commemorate Japan’s surrender in World War II next week.
Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk comes under ‘massive attack’
Russia launched a “massive attack” early Saturday on Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region, regional Governor Sergiy Lysak said on Telegram.
Lysak said explosions were reported in the cities of Dnipro and Pavlograd.
“The region is under a massive attack. Explosions are being heard,” Lysak wrote on Telegram, urging residents to seek shelter.
On Friday, Lysak said two people were killed in overnight Russian attacks.
Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Dnipropetrovsk has largely avoided heavy fighting.
Dnipropetrovsk is not one of the five regions claimed by Moscow, unlike Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Crimea.
However, earlier this week. Kyiv confirmed that Russian troops had entered the region.
Welcome to our coverage
Today’s Ukraine coverage begins with reports that Russia launched what Ukrainians have called a “massive attack” on the central Dnipropetrovsk region early Saturday.
On Friday, after meeting European Union defense and foreign affairs ministers in Copenhagen, top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas described “broad support” for a military training mission inside Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the White House on Friday reiterated President Donald Trump’s hope of getting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin to sit down for ceasefire and peace negotiations, even as French President Emmanuel Macron suggested that Trump may be getting played by his Russian counterpart.
Stay tuned to our blog for the latest news, videos and analyses on Ukraine throughout the day.