Indian death in Ukraine attacks comes as Modi urges Putin to move towards peace

AN INDIAN citizen was among 12 people killed in the latest Russian attacks on Ukraine, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday, as prime minister Narendra Modi was urging Russian president Vladimir Putin to bring the conflict to an end.

The Indian was killed as drones and ballistic missiles struck several cities, damaging residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, according to Zelenskyy. Guided aerial bomb and drone strikes also continued against Odesa city and the surrounding region, leaving thousands of families without electricity.

"Overall, 12 people were killed, among them an Indian citizen," Zelenskyy said.

"My condolences to everyone who has lost family and loved ones," the Ukrainian president added.

Zelenskyy said dozens of people were injured in the attacks, which also hit Kyiv, Odesa, Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Sumy and Dnipro regions.

In Kyiv, seven people were killed in a strike on a railway depot.

In Boryspil, a five-storey residential building was damaged and 50 people were evacuated. Four people were killed and 13 injured in the city, Zelenskyy said.

Nearly 350 first responders were involved in rescue and recovery operations in Kyiv and the surrounding region alone, he said.

"A significant number of jet-powered drones and ballistic missiles were used in the attack," Zelenskyy said, adding that residential buildings and civilian infrastructure were damaged.

Russian guided aerial bomb and drone strikes also continued against Odesa and the surrounding region, he said. A border crossing with Romania and export infrastructure were also "deliberately damaged", according to Zelenskyy.

The president blamed Russia for deliberately targeting civilians and called for increased air defence assistance to Ukraine.

"Russia always plans its strikes specifically to cause as much destruction to people's lives as possible, and it succeeds only when air defence capabilities are insufficient.

"The number of victims of Russian terror directly hinges on every new package of assistance," Zelenskyy said, while thanking countries supporting Ukraine through the Priority Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) and bilateral supplies.

The latest Indian death came a day after Modi met Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and urged him to move from "endless war towards end of war".

"We have always discussed the Ukraine issue. When we last met, you had extensively briefed me on all aspects of it. India supports all efforts for peace and will continue to do so," Modi said in his televised opening remarks.

"Every day spent on war pushes humanity backwards, whereas every step taken towards peace fills humanity with new hope and enthusiasm. We must move from endless war towards the end of war, which is very crucial for the well-being of humanity," the prime minister said in Hindi.

Modi also told Putin that India would continue to support peace efforts.

"As you are aware, India supports all peace efforts in this regard, and we shall continue to do so in the future," Modi said, according to a Kremlin transcript of their exchange.

"Every day that the war continues, humanity is, in effect, set back a step, whilst every step towards peace gives all of humanity real hope for peace. We need to move from endless war to an end to the war, to a cessation of hostilities. And we will need to move precisely in this direction," said Modi, who has said before that he wants a peace settlement for Ukraine.

"A peaceful resolution of all issues as soon as possible is the call of humanity, and this is also India's message. The land of Gandhi and Buddha has a single message: the path of peace," he said.

"Thank you very much, prime minister. We are moving forward along this path," Putin responded, according to state media.

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The latest attack also comes as India continues discussions with Russia over Indian nationals recruited into the Russian armed forces.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the issue had been discussed between the two countries at various levels and that India's embassy in Moscow was monitoring the situation.

"The issue of our nationals being recruited into the Russian armed forces has been discussed between India and Russia at various levels on various occasions," he said.

"Our embassy in Moscow is monitoring this situation regularly with regard to the release and repatriation of these Indian citizens. We are in discussions with the Russian side to ensure that any cases that remain are discharged at the earliest," he added.

At the last count, India had information about 227 Indian nationals recruited into the Russian army, Misri said.

"At last count, we had information about 227 Indian nationals who had been recruited into the Russian army. And out of that number, we have information that 139 of our nationals have been discharged from the army. Unfortunately, we also have information about 51 people who have perished so far," he said.

"This remains an issue on which we are in constant discussions with the Russian side."

The deaths in Ukraine came as Modi and Putin also discussed bilateral ties between India and Russia, including trade and investment and energy and fertilizer security.

The Ministry of External Affairs said the two leaders reviewed cooperation in political, economic, defence, energy, space, mobility and people-to-people ties.

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They also exchanged views on India-Russia engagement in BRICS and other regional and global issues, including the conflicts in West Asia and the Black Sea region, which have impacted maritime trade and the safety and security of Indian seafarers.

The prime minister reiterated that dialogue and diplomacy were the way forward in resolving conflicts, the MEA said.

"The two leaders agreed to remain engaged to further strengthen the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries, which continues to register significant growth and has shown resilience in the backdrop of geopolitical uncertainties," it said.

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"The prime minister stated that he looks forward to welcoming president Putin in India for the 18th BRICS Summit on September 12 and 13," it added.

Putin is due to travel to India to attend the annual BRICS summit.

Putin also briefed Modi on how the special military operation, Russia's preferred description for its action in Ukraine, was progressing, the state TASS news agency reported.

Modi and Putin later travelled together in the Russian president's limousine to Nomad Games. Television footage showed them jointly entering the venue for the inauguration ceremony of the games.

(With inputs from agencies)