Ukraine war briefing: Kremlin denounces European troops plan as Kyiv warns of ‘massive Russian attack’

Russia has called a plan for European troops to be deployed to Ukraine “dangerous”, dousing hopes for a speedy end to the near four-year war. European leaders and US envoys announced this week that postwar guarantees for Ukraine would include a US-led monitoring mechanism and a European multinational force to be deployed once the fighting stops. But Moscow has repeatedly warned it would not accept any Nato members sending such troops to Ukraine. “All such units and facilities will be considered legitimate military targets for the Russian armed forces,” Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said on Thursday, repeating a threat previously made by Vladimir Putin. Describing the plan as “dangerous” and “destructive”, she accused Kyiv’s allies of forming an “axis of war”.

German chancellor Friedrich Merz said a ceasefire in Ukraine was still “quite far” away given Russia’s position. “The order must be: first a ceasefire, then security guarantees for Ukraine for a long-term agreement with Russia,” Merz told reporters on Thursday. “All of this is impossible without Russia’s consent, which we are probably still quite far from.”

The US embassy in Kyiv warned on Thursday that a “potentially significant air attack” could occur at any time within the next several days. Volodymyr Zelenskyy echoed the warning in his evening address, telling Ukrainians that “there may be another massive Russian attack” during the night, without elaborating. “It is very important to pay attention to air raid alerts,” the Ukrainian president added, advising Ukrainians to take shelter when asked.

An Anglo-French led stabilisation force for Ukraine would have to deploy thousands of combat troops if it is to successfully dissuade Russia from breaking a post-war ceasefire, according to a former commanding general of the US army in Europe, reports Dan Sabbagh. Ben Hodges said the proposed multinational force – discussed this week by the British and French leaders Zelenskyy in Paris – had to be robust enough to deal with likely Kremlin-orchestrated provocations.

Russian drones attacked targets in Kyiv early on Friday, triggering fires in several districts and injuring at least four people, officials said. The drone strikes began just before midnight and the fires included in an apartment building and a shopping centre on the east bank of the Dnipro River, the head of the capital’s military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, said on Telegram. The mayor, Vitali Klitschko, also reported damage to a building in a central district.

Data indicates there had been a major disruption to internet connectivity in Belgorod, western Russia, after Ukrainian forces targeted the region’s energy installations with missiles, according to NetBlocks. The monitoring organisation posted on X on Friday that “initial analysis suggests one of the most effective infrastructure strikes by Ukraine since the start of the war”.

Ukrainian officials raced to restore power on Thursday after Russian drone attacks plunged two south-eastern regions into near-total blackout overnight, strikes that Zelenskyy said were at attempt “to break” his country. Nearly 500,000 households in the industrialised region of Dnipropetrovsk – one of Ukraine’s largest – were still without power on Thursday afternoon, according to private energy provider DTEK. Deputy prime minister Oleksiy Kuleba said earlier that more than 1.7 million households in Ukraine faced water supply problems. In Zaporizhzhia region, the energy ministry said power had been restored after a blackout forced infrastructure to rely on reserves.

Zelenskyy said there had been new Russian missile strikes on dwellings in his hometown in Dnipropetrovsk region, Kryvyi Rih, and the State Emergency Service said at least 26 people, including six childen, were injured. Twenty-nine apartment buildings were damaged. The municipal water company in Kryvih Rih said the attacks were affecting deliveries from pumping stations.

European governments have been accused of fuelling Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine as new data shows the Kremlin earned an estimated €7.2bn ($9.7bn) last year from exporting its liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the EU, reports Daniel Boffey. Brussels has pledged to ban imports of Russian LNG by 2027 but an analysis suggests there is yet to be any letup in the vast quantities being received at European ports from Russia’s LNG complex on the Yamal peninsula in Siberia.

In British politics, Nigel Farage has been accused of “parroting Kremlin lines” after saying that he would vote against any UK government plans to deploy the military in Ukraine. On Tuesday, Britain and France said they would be ready to send troops to Ukraine after a peace deal, but the Reform UK leader said he would vote against any such move to put boots on the ground, reports Alexandra Topping. Farage’s comments cast doubt on his commitment to the UK’s national security, the cabinet minister Pat McFadden said.

British MPs would have a debate and vote before any UK troops were deployed on peacekeeping duties in Ukraine, Keir Starmer said in the House of Commons. The prime minister said that at that point there would be details about how many troops would be sent, Peter Walker reports.