Ukraine-Russia war latest: Modi tells Putin conflict must end for humanity’s sake as Kyiv hit by drone attacks

India’s prime minister has urged ally Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine, saying his country backed every peace effort, Russian media reported.

Narendra Modi met with his Russian counterpart on Monday in the Kyrgyzstan capital of Bishkek as part ‌of the ​Shanghai Cooperation ‌Organisation ⁠summit.

Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are also attended the annual two-day summit, which kicked off on Monday.

The Kremlin issued a statement on Monday to say the Putin and Jinping touched upon the conflict in Ukraine, but added that it was not it the main theme of their meeting.

Ukraine is striking deeper into the heart of Russia than ever before with swarms of drones that have led Russians into a panic. Experts say that Kyiv’s resourcefulness is a result of studying Moscow, Maira Butt reports:

Charred vehicles line empty roads littered with the debris of destroyed buildings, while the thud of artillery fire gives way to the sharp, high-pitched hum of an attack drone.

This is today’s reality in the eastern Ukrainian town of Druzhkivka, where a remnant of civilians live alongside troops fighting Russian forces who are now only 15 km (nine miles) away and steadily edging closer.

Widespread ruin of this nature is mirrored along the entire 1,200-km (746-mile) front line across the east and south. As Russian forces push ahead, apartment blocks, local markets and shops are flattened, rendering whole communities virtually uninhabitable.

“I can’t sleep,” said Iryna ​Litovchenko, ⁠one of a handful of civilians who have stayed. “Some guys took us in – strangers,” added the 56-year-old, walking through broken glass and debris beside badly damaged buildings.

“My ⁠home is gone, as if it never existed. There were so many good things, ​so ⁠much of everything. In one fell ‌swoop – boom — it’s as if nothing’s left.”

The Independent’s Maira Butt writes:

Every morning, Antonina Kulhava wakes up to the whirr of Russian drones.

Ukraine is one of the world’s most heavily mined countries with between 20 to 25 per cent of its surface covered with potentially dangerous weapons. This amounts to more than 139,000 square kilometres of land, a size larger than England and Wales combined.

The existence of these mines is devastating for civilians, contributing to one of the world’s highest rates of civilian casualties. Children are among those at risk if the mines are not safely cleared.

“It’s an interesting and challenging job,” she tells The Independent.

Russia’s Rosatom state nuclear corporation said on Monday that its priority was to keep the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeast Ukraine supplied with diesel fuel in the absence of an external power source.

Alexei Likhachev, Rosatom’s head, said ⁠in a statement that the ​situation ⁠at the plant ‌was under full control as it was kept functioning ‌on its backup diesel ‌generators.

But he said such a situation could not ⁠go on indefinitely and that it was essential to restore external power lines.

He said he hoped that a local ceasefire could be arranged to pause fighting between Russia and Ukraine in order to carry out repairs to the Ferrosplavnaya-1 power line, which supplies electricity to the plant.

Elon Musk is against allowing Ukraine to use his Starlink technology for strikes inside Russia, three sources familiar with the matter said.

The sources told Kyiv Independent that the billionaire does not believe it could bring an end to the war.

Ukraine has long sought for US approval to use drones equipped with Starlink systems to strike Russian targets and other reports have suggested that Mr Musk was considering the idea.

Volodymyr Zelensky urged Donald Trump for help to gain permission to use it at a meeting last month.

Turkey says it has prepared a plan to safely transport grain from Ukraine through the Black Sea.

Foreign minister Hakan Fidan told a press conference that he was in contact with Russia and Ukraine about the plan.

Turkey has hoped to revive a UN-brokered deal that was launched in 2022 to get grain out of Ukraine during wartime.

“If the necessary conditions emerge, we are working in particular to achieve another agreement similar to the grain deal,” Mr Fidan said.

Turkey ⁠initially helped mediate the so-called Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2022 to allow the safe export of nearly 33 million metric ‌tons of Ukrainian grain via the ​Black Sea, despite the ‌war.

Russia withdrew from the agreement in 2023, complaining that its own food and fertiliser exports faced serious obstacles.

Russian forces relentlessly battered Kyiv and cities in the region around the Ukrainian capital for a fifth straight day Monday, leaving some supermarket shelves bare after repeated strikes on warehouses as Ukraine reels from attacks with jet-powered drones.

Russia has intensified its aerial attacks in recent months, more than four years after it invaded its neighbor. Almost constant air raid alerts in the Kyiv region in recent days have severely disrupted daily routines. Two major attacks in July killed almost 50 civilians, and a strike on Saturday killed at least 38 people.

Classes were due to resume at Ukrainian schools on Tuesday, but it was unclear whether parents would send their children. Schools have air raid shelters, and classes can also be held online.

“Right now, Russia’s tactic is to wear down Ukraine and Ukrainians — first and foremost, our people,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media late Sunday.

Ukraine has also tried to make Russian civilians feel the burden of war by hammering major online retailers and oil facilities. The attacks have brought shortages for ordinary Russians, though its strikes have not been as deadly for civilians.

India’s prime minister has urged ally Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine, saying his country backed every peace effort, Russian media reported.

Narendra Modi met with his Russian counterpart on Monday in the Kyrgyzstan capital of Bishkek as part ‌of the ​Shanghai Cooperation ‌Organisation ⁠summit.

Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are also attended the annual two-day summit, which kicked off on Monday.