Extract from ABC News
At least three people were killed in a strike on a residential building in the town of Balakliya, in eastern Ukraine. (Reuters: Anatolii Stepanov)
In short:
Strikes across Ukraine have killed five people and destroyed a kindergaten, as Moscow intensifies its daily drone and missile barrages.
Russia has been targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure ahead of winter when temperatures plunge.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has signed a deal with France to buy 100 new fighter jets as well as drones and other equipment.
Authorities say a fresh salvo of Russian aerial strikes has killed five people and destroyed a kindergarten in eastern Ukraine.
Moscow has been intensifying its daily drone and missile barrages in recent months, targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure and hitting a number of civilian sites ahead of winter.
Three were killed and 13 wounded in a strike on a residential area of Balakliya, a frontline city in the north-eastern Kharkiv region, Ukraine's emergency service said, adding that four children were among those wounded.
It came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a deal with France to buy up to 100 new fighter jets, as well as drones and other equipment.
First Lady Olena Zelenska slammed the strike.
"The aggressor destroyed several apartment buildings and a kindergarten. An inhuman attack that cannot be justified," she said on social media.
The strike in Balakliya hit between a number of Soviet-era apartment buildings, causing damage to people's homes. (Reuters: Anatolii Stepanov)
Photos published by the local administration showed a partly damaged Soviet-era apartment block with all of its glass windows blown out.
A later Russian strike killed two other civilians in the Dnipropetrovsk region, the local governor said.
A gas cargo vessel sailing under a Turkish flag also caught fire after Russian drones pummelled the city of Izmail in the Odesa region on the Black Sea, the Ukrainian port authority said.
Earlier this week, Mr Zelenskyy signed a deal with Greece to import natural gas via the Trans-Balkan pipeline, which runs through Odesa.
In October, Moscow launched its biggest bombing campaign against Ukrainian gas facilities since the start of the 2022 invasion, halting 60 per cent of the production of the country's main source of fuel for heating.
Kyiv has regularly targeted Russian fuel depots, oil refineries and other energy facilities that it calls retribution for Moscow's barrages.
The Moscow-backed governor of the occupied Donetsk region said around 500,000 subscribers had faced a temporary power cut early Monday after a Ukrainian attack.
Ukraine makes 'historic' purchase of 100 French planes
The latest strikes come while Mr Zelenskyy was visiting France, seeking to shore up support from European allies for equipment to fight the war.
On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron signed an accord with the Ukrainian leader that would see Kyiv acquire up to 100 fighter jets and other hardware, including drones.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the deal for military equipment signed with French President Emmanuel Macron is "historic". (Reuters: Sarah Meyssonnier)
Delivery of the Rafale fighter jets — the crown jewel of French combat aviation — is only foreseen under the letter of intent over a 10-year horizon, although the production of drones and interceptors would start by the end of this year, Mr Macron said.
Mr Macron acknowledged that this was currently a "difficult moment" in the conflict, which was sparked by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
"Russia alone is making the choice to continue this war and to intensify it," he told reporters, accusing Russia of having an "addiction for war".
But the French leader said he hoped "peace will be obtained before 2027", adding that there needed to be then a "regeneration" of the Ukrainian army so that it is "capable of dissuading any new incursion" by Russia.
"It is a historic agreement," Mr Zelenskyy said.
The agreement will see Ukraine acquire Dassault Rafale fighter jets over the next decade. (Reuters: Amr Alfiky)
The Ukrainian president has already signed a letter of intent to acquire 100 to 150 Swedish Gripen fighter jets.
Europe could finance Ukraine through frozen Russian assets
Also on Monday, European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said European countries could also help finance Ukraine's war effort by borrowing against frozen Russian assets.
EU leaders agreed last month to meet Ukraine's "pressing financial needs" for the next two years but stopped short of endorsing a plan to use frozen Russian assets to fund a giant loan to Kyiv, due to concerns raised by Belgium.
Ms von der Leyen said three options for funding Ukraine through 2026-27 included borrowing against Russian assets, direct support by EU members, or the EU borrowing on financial markets.
The document estimated that Ukraine's remaining need for 2026-2027 amounts to 135.7 billion euros ($241 billion). The Commission's proposal to use frozen Russian assets would produce a loan of 140 billion euros, covering Kyiv's needs.
AFP
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