By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief
KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Moscow appeared to prepare for a massive ground offensive in Ukraine on Saturday, prompting Ukrainian officials to issue evacuation orders for 11 more villages in the northern Sumy region after Russian gains killed several people.
The military movements came as Europe and the United States closely watched for a possible spread of the armed conflict after Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that if long-range missiles had been permitted into Russia, it would amount to an “escalation.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier that Russia could deploy conventional missiles within striking distance of the United States and its European allies if they allowed Ukraine to strike deeper into Russia with long-range Western weapons.
Amid the East-West standoff, Russia advanced deeper into Ukrainian territory on Saturday, taking control of two more villages in Sumy and killing two people in a missile and drone barrage, officials said. More than 200 settlements in the region were already under evacuation orders.
Saturday’s attacks happened while Ukrainian diplomats continued to discuss participating in a fresh round of peace talks proposed by Moscow in Istanbul, Turkey, next week.
Yet there were doubts within U.S. European capitals about how sincerely Moscow was seeking peace.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymr Zelenskyy, has said that about 50,000 Russian troops were gathered on the border near the Sumy region, which he claimed was a sign that Moscow is preparing a renewed offensive.
TAKING CONTROL
On Saturday, the Russian Ministry of Defence said that it had taken control of the villages of Novopil in the eastern Donetsk region and Vodolahy in the northern Sumy region.
Russia’s military also launched 109 drones and five missiles at Ukraine overnight, and in the early hours of Saturday, many of which were intercepted, the Ukrainian air force said.
The missile salvo killed a nine-year-old girl in the Zaporizhzhia region, eastern Ukraine, as well as injured a 16-year-old, the governor of Zaporizhzhia, Ivan Fedorov, said. Another man was reportedly killed by Russian shelling in the port city of Kherson in southern Ukraine. “One house was destroyed. The shock wave from the blast also damaged several other houses, cars, and outbuildings,” Fedorov wrote on the social media platform Telegram.
Ukraine also launched drone attacks in western Russia on Saturday, injuring 14 people. There have also been numerous drones over and around Moscow, the capital, forcing the closure of airports.
“My mother was to come next month to visit me,” a young Russian man told Worthy News in Budapest. “But with all these drones, I don’t know if that is possible. I just hope there will be peace soon.”
He is one of many Russian men of fighting age staying outside the country, fearing they may be mobilized for a war that is believed to have killed and injured more than a million people.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 but is still struggling to control the country.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
A government ban on major social media platforms that enraged young Nepalis has spiraled into the country’s deadliest political violence in decades, with authorities saying Sunday that at least 72 people have been killed and hundreds more injured during protests reflecting years of frustration over corruption, inequality, and “curbs on freedoms.”
Throughout the Hill Country, crosses, words of Jesus, prayers and messages of hope are written on memorials honoring nearly 150 killed from the catastrophic July 4 flash flood.
The NATO military alliance has begun rolling out its defensive posture on its eastern flank bordering Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. NATO leaders said the new equipment is aimed at deterring potential Russian aggression after at least 19 Russian drones entered Polish territory and Romania also reported a violation of its airspace.
Israel’s surprise strike on Hamas political leaders in Qatar showcased its growing arsenal of advanced ballistic missiles and its ability to deploy them at long range with precision, according to an exclusive report by the Wall Street Journal.
More than 100,000 people packed into central London on Saturday for what organizers billed as the largest free speech rally in British history. The “Unite the Kingdom” march, spearheaded by activist Tommy Robinson, featured a live video appearance by billionaire Elon Musk and a tribute to slain U.S. conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Christians in Pakistan’s flood-hit Punjab province were among those struggling to survive Thursday, while in Indonesia, at least 19 people were confirmed dead after flash floods struck the tourist island of Bali and other regions as deadly monsoon waters swept across parts of South Asia.
Much of the world is mourning after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the born-again Christian conservative leader, who inspired his generation and whose widow praised him as a loving husband with a deep faith in Jesus Christ.