Russian Strikes Kill at Least 10 in Ukraine as Zelenskyy Proposes G20 Meeting

Russian airstrikes killed at least 10 people and wounded dozens across Ukraine on Saturday, September 12. The attacks targeted residential buildings and infrastructure in multiple regions, including Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih, and Odesa. In Kramatorsk, officials reported that Russian forces attacked private cars, killing three civilians. In Odesa, a strike on an apartment building left 37 people injured, including an infant. Russian forces also targeted western Ukraine, where drones struck Volyn and Rivne oblasts, causing power outages and injuring five people. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that its forces hit Ukrainian ports, including a cargo ship in Odesa, and various factories in Dnipro and Kryvyi Rih.

Ukraine retaliated by targeting Russian industrial sites. Ukrainian forces struck a synthetic rubber factory in Togliatti, Samara region, which they claimed produces materials for missiles. Russian officials confirmed drone attacks in the Samara and Rostov regions, with the mayor of Togliatti reporting damage to residential buildings and one person hospitalized.

Amid the escalation, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed willingness to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Miami this December to discuss ending the war. The Kremlin immediately rejected the proposal, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov calling the meeting impossible and reiterating that any such encounter must take place in Moscow. Additionally, Russian Foreign Minister Serghei Lavrov criticized Zelenskyy's requests for more Patriot missiles, describing the Western arms supplies as a game with fire.

Outlets with center and center-left leans highlighted the humanitarian impact on civilians and the economic toll of the infrastructure attacks. In contrast, reporting from center-leaning sources also detailed the specific military and industrial targets claimed by the Russian Ministry of Defense.