Ukraine-Russia latest: Putin faced ‘bloodiest month’ of war in September as Zelensky pitches victory plan

A nighttime Russian missile strike on Odesa killed at least four people including a 16-year-old girl, regional authorities said, in the latest in a series of attacks this week on the southern Ukrainian region that are likely intended to disrupt the country's grain exports.

Four Russian missile and drone attacks on the Odesa region this week have killed 14 people and wounded around 20, according to local officials. The strikes have hit merchant ships and damaged port infrastructure in the region, which is a vital hub for Ukraine's agricultural exports through the Black Sea.

An attack on Odesa late Wednesday killed nine people and hit a container ship sailing under the Panamanian flag — the third attack on a merchant vessel in four days, according to regional Gov. Oleh Kiper.

Ukrainian air force has aid it shot down 29 out of 66 Russian drones launched overnight.

Moscow also launched two missiles, it added, and 31 drones were “locationally lost”, likely due to electronic warfare.

Two more drones returned toward Russian territory, the air force said.

After meeting with prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, Mr Zelensky met with French President Emmanuel Macron.

In Paris, Macron and Zelenskyy hugged before talks on the plan at the French presidential Elysee Palace. Afterward, Zelenskyy said "all the details" would come in November and that he's talking with allies about securing more military aid and permission for Ukrainian forces to carry out long-range strikes.

Kyiv wants Western partners to allow strikes deep inside Russia, using long-range weapons they provide. Some, including the UK and France, appear willing, but Biden is reticent about escalating the conflict.

He later met in Rome with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, who ensured Italy's full and continued support "at both bilateral and multilateral level in order to put Kyiv in the best position possible to build a just and lasting peace."

Meloni said the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the situation on the ground and Ukraine's "most immediate military, financial and humanitarian needs, as well as the forthcoming diplomatic initiatives and the pathway to bring an end to the conflict."

Volodymyr Zelensky presented his “victory plan” to Sir Keir Starmer as pressure mounted on the UK to give Ukraine permission to use Storm Shadow missiles to strike targets in Russia.

In three-way talks in Downing Street, the Prime Minister, the Ukrainian president and Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte discussed the state of the war.

Mr Rutte said there was no legal reason preventing the use of Western-supplied weapons against targets within Russia, but decisions had to be made by individual states.

Following the talks in No 10, Mr Zelensky said: “The victory plan aims to create the right conditions for a just end to the war.

“I thank the United Kingdom for its continued defence support of our country, including with long-range weapons.”

President Vladimir Putin has began a visit to Turkmenistan, speaking at an international forum with Central Asian leaders and the president of Iran.

The Kremlin said Putin will discuss the situation in the Middle East with Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the conference in the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat.

Moscow and Tehran signed a $1.7 billion deal for Iran to export drones to Russia after Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022, and the U.S. also believes it has transferred short-range ballistic missiles.

In his opening remarks at the forum, Putin repeated again that he wants to build “a new world order” with Russia’s friends and partners, according to video shared by the Kremlin.

Ukrainian forces control around half of the strategic city of Toretsk in eastern Ukraine as they attempt to stave off assaults by Russian troops, the city’s local authorities said on Friday.

“Approximately 40-50 percent of the city can be said to be under the control of the Ukrainian armed forces, while the rest of the territory is captured by the enemy,” Vasyl Chynchyk, head of Toretsk city military administration, said on national TV.

Military analysts say that capturing the hilltop Toretsk would allow Russian invasion forces to further complicate logistics for Ukrainian forces in much of the east.

Four people were killed by a Russian missile strike in Ukraine‘s southern Odesa region, Governor Oleh Kiper said

Mr Kiper said a ballistic missile struck a two-storey building where civilians lived and worked. Ten more people were wounded.

Prime minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the support Ukraine would need in its war against Russia in the coming months during talks in London, Starmer’s spokesperson said.

The spokesperson also reiterated Britain’s view that Ukraine has the right, in certain circumstances, to strike targets inside Russian territory, but said that Britain’s stance on the use of its long-range Storm Shadow missiles was unchanged.

“We obviously want to put Ukraine in the strongest position. But no war has ever been won by a single weapon. And on Storm Shadow specifically, there has been no change to the UK government’s position on the use of long-range missiles,” the spokesperson said.

Mr Zelensky also met Nato secretary general Mark Rutte in London. When asked about long-range weapons, Mr Rutte told reporters: “We discussed it today, but in the end it is up to the individual allies.”

Nato will hold a long-planned major nuclear exercise next week, the alliance’s chief said, a few weeks after Vladimir Putin announced changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine to discourage Ukraine’s Western allies from supporting attacks on his country.

The “Steadfast Noon” exercise starts on Monday and will run for about two weeks. It will be led by Belgium and the Netherlands, use eight military bases and involve 2,000 personnel and 60 aircraft from 13 nations. The exercise has been held at roughly the same time each year for over a decade.

Bomber aircraft and fighter jets that can carry nuclear warheads are taking part. No live munitions are used. The bulk of the exercise is being held around 900km (560 miles) from Russia in the North Sea. Moscow has been informed about the drills, Nato officials say.