# Eight dead in Ukraine as Putin draws a line on European troops

> A night of drone and missile strikes across five Ukrainian regions, and a Kremlin warning that European peacekeepers would mean war.
- Title: Eight dead in Ukraine as Putin draws a line on European troops
- Summary: A night of drone and missile strikes across five Ukrainian regions, and a Kremlin warning that European peacekeepers would mean war. Russia is hitting…
- Keywords: ukraine, russia, putin, zelensky, drone strikes, news, entertainment, Eight, dead, draws, line, European
- Source: New York Post — https://nypost.com/2026/09/12/world-news/8-killed-dozens-wounded-in-russian-strikes-on-ukraine-as-putin-warns-europe-against-sending-troops
- Published: 2026-09-12T16:16:16+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: ukraine, russia, putin, zelensky, drone strikes, news, entertainment
## Eight civilians killed overnight
Russian strikes killed eight people and wounded dozens across Ukraine, local officials said Saturday, the day after Putin warned Europe against sending troops.
## Drones built to get through
Russia is combining ballistic missiles with jet-powered drones to pierce Ukrainian air defenses, and the pace of the air campaign keeps climbing.
## The grid before winter
Moscow is aiming at Ukraine's power network with winter coming. Ukrainian officials say the point is to wear civilians down.

> meant to demoralize civilians
## Five regions in one night
Two died in Zaporizhzhia, one in Kryvyi Rih, three in cars hit in Kramatorsk, two at a Zhytomyr grocery store. In Odesa, 35 were wounded and a high-rise lost its top floors.

> massive attack
## Ukraine hits back inside Russia
Zelensky said Ukrainian forces struck chemical plants in Samara and Perm. Regional governors stayed quiet, but Russian outlet Astra reported drone attacks on both.
## Putin's red line
At the BRICS summit in India, Putin said European troops in Ukraine would mean war with Russia, while insisting Moscow has never threatened Europe.

> Now they're talking about how they're considering sending troops into Ukraine. That means a war with Russia.
## Talks without a ceasefire
Zelensky offered to meet Putin at December's G20 in Miami. The Kremlin says come to Moscow instead, and Lavrov says the war will not pause during any negotiations.

> ready for negotiations
## Key takeaway

Russia is hitting civilians and the power grid before winter while talking up negotiations, and Putin has now said outright that European troops in Ukraine would mean war with Russia.