Ukraine updates: Russian strikes kill 5 in southern regions

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, speaking in Berlin on Monday, warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to take advantage of the uncertainty of what Donald Trump's return to the White House might mean for the war in Ukraine.

With Trump's specter looming, Baerbock urged fellow European Union member states as well as lawmakers in Berlin to commit more support to Kyiv now while at the same time stepping up long-term defense funding. 

She said the NATO target of allocating 2% of GDP to defense is "no longer enough."

"We don't have time to wait until spring. Now is the transition phase that Putin has been waiting for," she said, addressing Ukraine aid.

At the moment, there is great doubt about Trump's willingness to continue US support for Ukraine, an ominous thought for Kyiv as Russian troops are making gains on the battlefield after years of grinding conflict and with another winter approaching.

To compound matters, Germany — Ukraine's second-largest backer after the US — has unexpectedly become a source of uncertainty, too, with the collapse of Olaf Scholz's ruling coalition last week.

Baerbock, in a nod to her compatriots in Berlin, said, "We now need, in addition to the measures at the European level, more financial resources in the [German] budget."

Citing drone attacks "deliberately targeting the capital" Kyiv, she called on Germany to provide more money to bolster Ukrainian air defenses, saying, "the war has reached a new dimension."

Military experts in Ukraine's Donetsk region have warned of potential disaster as their forces risk being overrun and as Russian troops heavily damaged a dam at Kurakhove.

Water levels downstream from the Kurakhove Reservoir reportedly rose over 1.2 meters (3.3 feet) in the hours after the attack.

"We continue to monitor the water level in the river and are prepared for any developments," said Regional Governor Vadym Filashkin.

In June 2023, hundreds of people were killed in a similar situation when the Kakhovka Dam was destroyed amid heavy fighting in southern Ukraine. 

Russia is thought to have been at fault in both instances but the Kremlin denies this, suggesting the Kurakhove Dam may have been sabotaged by Ukraine in hopes of hindering Russian advances.

Ukrainian soldiers fighting in the eastern part of the country are surrounded on three sides, with Russian forces pummeling them as an attempt to encircle them.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has promised "substantial reinforcement" but Kurakhove and the key transport hub Pokrovsk are currently in danger of being captured.

Russian troops are making attempts at advancing in areas of the Kursk region currently under Ukrainian control, Kyiv's top general said on Monday.

General Oleksandr Syrskyi said on the Telegram messaging app that Russia has amassed tens of thousands of soldiers in the region that borders Ukraine.

"Following the order of their military leadership, they are trying to dislodge our troops and advance deep into the territory we control," Syrskyi said.

In August, Ukrainian forces advanced into Russia's southwestern border Kursk region, taking control of dozens of towns and villages.

The Ukrainian air force was put on high alert Monday after reports of bomber sorties taking off from Russian territory. 

This was the first report of a large number of bombers taking off from Russian territory in more than two months.

Anticipating a large-scale attack, Ukraine imposed preventative power outages and advised people to seek shelter.

Parts of Kyiv and other regions experienced power cuts, and many residents took gathered in metro stations which serve as bomb shelters.

"The air alert is related to the launch of cruise missiles from Tu-95MS strategic bombers," the air force said on its Telegram channels. However, hours after the alert was issued, the bombing raid appeared to not have materialized.

According to some Ukrainian military bloggers, Russian bombers were imitating missile launches.

Russian air strikes overnight killed at least five people and injured 19, including five children, in southern Ukraine, local officials said on Monday.

The governors of the Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia regions confirmed the deaths on the Telegram messaging app.

Four deaths occurred in Mykolaiv, where several buildings caught fire, and one person was killed in Zaporizhzhia, where a residential building was destroyed, the officials said.

Ivan Fedorov, Zaporizhzhia region governor, said 18 people were injured, including five children.

Both regions faced drone and air attacks starting Sunday evening, with Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia under air raid alerts for most of the night.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia fired 145 drones at Ukraine overnight Saturday into Sunday. This marked the largest single nighttime attack of the conflict so far.

ss/xx (Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he aims to resume dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin "soon" to discuss the Ukraine conflict.

Scholz was talking at a Sunday evening talk show on public broadcaster ARD.

"Yes, I have resolved to speak to the Russian president at the right time," the chancellor said.

"But I am a responsible politician, I don't do it alone," Scholz said, implying that any dialogue with Russia would require coordination with other parties and consultations with Ukraine.

He stressed the importance of supporting Ukraine and preventing escalation.

Scholz said there is a need to see if "this war will go on forever or if we can find ways to end it."

"Ukraine can rely on us and others and does not have to fear being left alone," he said

In his last conversation with Putin in December 2022, the German leader called for a diplomatic solution and withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.

Scholz also spoke with US president-elect Donald Trump and the two leaders "agreed to work together towards a return to peace in Europe," according to the chancellor's spokesperson.

US President-elect Donald Trump has spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine in a phone call reported by the Washington Post on Sunday. 

The newspaper, citing several people familiar with the call who spoke on the basis of anonymity, reported that Trump had reminded Putin of the sizable US military presence in Europe.

The Post also reported that Trump was keen to have further conversations to talk about "the resolution" of the war soon. 

On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied the report that a phone call took place. 

Trump has criticized the scale of military and financial support for Kyiv under US President Joe Biden's administration, while the soon-to-be president has vowed to end the war quickly, without specifying how.

Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday shortly after his election victory was confirmed.

Ukraine's foreign ministry said it was not informed in advance of the call between Trump and Putin.

ss/wmr (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)