+++ News in the Ukraine War +++: Ukraine attacks Russian industrial facilities

According to media reports, Ukraine has hit one of the country's largest petrochemical industry complexes with drone attacks in Nizhnekamsk in the Russian republic of Tatarstan. The regional health ministry said there were three injured after the attacks. The authority did not provide any information about which industrial facility was hit. Footage of a major fire circulated on social networks in Russia and Ukraine - at the Nizhnekamskneftechim plant, which also has an oil refinery.

According to authorities, a power substation was hit in Taganrog in southern Russia on the Sea of ​​Azov. The plant's chief engineer was killed, Rostov Region Governor Yuri Slyussar said. Due to the damage to the system, which is also used to supply the railway with electricity, train traffic was temporarily stopped. Slyussar also reported debris from downed drones falling onto cars. Three men and a woman were injured.

Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian war of aggression for more than four and a half years. It also repeatedly attacks targets in the Russian hinterland in order to weaken the country's war economy. Last week, the warring parties resumed negotiations to end the conflict under US mediation. However, a ceasefire that Ukraine is seeking is not in sight. (dpa)

According to the Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russian troops attacked a cargo ship in the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk. The ship was used to supply the Ukrainian military, the Russian state news agency RIA quoted a statement from the ministry. In addition, port infrastructure that is used to unload military goods was hit. (rtr)

Russia has confirmed Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin's participation in the historic summit with US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. It was agreed to hold the meeting next Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Community (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Russian news agency Tass on Saturday.

The White House had already announced the date on Friday, but there has so far been no confirmation from Beijing. According to Washington, the summit will be about nuclear disarmament and the Iran war - but not about the Ukraine conflict. (afp)

French President Emmanuel Macron has warned against cutting military aid to Ukraine. Anyone who wants to limit resources for Ukraine "basically wants to force them into an unjust peace, make them permanently vulnerable and thus also Europe," Macron wrote on the online service X on Saturday. "That is the recipe for the next war. That cannot be France's position."

“If Russia imposes its will on a European country by force, the whole of Europe will be weakened,” Macron warned. “Helping Ukraine defend itself means protecting France and the French.” Right-wing populist Marine Le Pen, who is leading the polls for next year's presidential election, has announced that if she wins the election she will stop aid to Ukraine after six months. With a view to the recent talks between Russia, Ukraine and the USA, Macron said that it had become clear that Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin was still not willing to negotiate. Putin is betting on “bringing Ukraine to its knees by increasing attacks on civilians and trying to plunge the country into darkness this winter,” Macron said. “It is our job to thwart this plan.”

In future talks about a possible peace solution, the Europeans should have a seat at the table, unlike in the negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv under US mediation in Abu Dhabi between Moscow and Kyiv. At the EU summit on Friday in Dublin, it was agreed that the European negotiating team should consist of the institutions of the European Union and the E5 states, i.e. Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy and Poland. (afp)

After trilateral meetings between Washington, Moscow and Kyiv this week, the US says it is now seeking direct talks between Russia and European countries. U.S. special envoy Jared Kushner said he and U.S. envoy Steven Witkoff were in close contact with Russia, Ukraine and European partners about next steps. It is clear to the sides that practical compromises are necessary to end the war, said US President Donald Trump's son-in-law. (rtr)

At least three people have died in a series of Russian attacks against Ukrainian cities. According to official reports, over 30 civilians were wounded in the attacks. In Zaporizhia alone, at least 22 people were injured when a rocket hit, regional military administrator Mykhailo Semikin said on Telegram. Three children were among the injured. Just the day before, the city was the target of Russian attacks.

In the evening, a Russian attack drone hit an energy supply facility in Chernihiv Oblast. According to official information, two men died and a third was injured. No further information was provided. In Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a man was killed in Russian attacks with drones and artillery, military administrator Olexander Hanscha reported on Telegram. Another 13 people, including a seven-year-old boy, were injured and taken to hospital. (dpa)