KYIV, Ukraine — Two days after a Russian missile strike that killed 11 people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday visited the large city of Zaporizhzhia, which is increasingly affected by the war.

He visited the damaged hospital, where a Russian missile struck on Tuesday, and commemorated the victims, the Ukrainian Presidential Office announced.

“There is a lot to do in Zaporizhzhia: the security situation, the protection of the sky,” Zelenskyy said in a video message.

In the city in the south of the country, which had a population of 700,000 before the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, Zelenskyy consulted with the military about the situation at the shifting front.

Should Ukrainian troops have to vacate the last cities in the Donetsk region further east, there are only 130 kilometers of open, poorly defensible steppe land to Zaporizhzhia on the Dnipro River.

Russia has declared the Ukrainian administrative region of Zaporizhzhia as part of its territory, even though it only militarily controls a portion of it.

In recent weeks, the regional capital has been increasingly hit by Russian bombs, which are also complicating life in Kharkiv.

Similar to Kharkiv, a bomb-proof underground school for 1,000 children was built in Zaporizhzhia, which Zelenskyy visited.

“It is very important that the war does not take away the opportunity for children to become successful adults,” he said.

Ukraine has been defending for almost three years against Russia.

IAEA says observers to stay in Ukraine despite strike

The drone attack on International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) monitors in Ukraine on Tuesday was a targeted attack from the point of view of IAEA chief Rafael Grossi.

“There was a clear intention to harm us or to intimidate us,” he said.

Nevertheless, he said at a meeting of the IAEA board of governors in Vienna that the experts would not be withdrawn. “We will not cease our operation,” he said.

On Tuesday, an IAEA vehicle was severely damaged by a drone near the Russian-occupied nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia. It had been traveling in a convoy with Ukrainian vehicles. No one was hurt.

Grossi did not blame either Russia or Ukraine for the incident, which happened in the area near the front line. There are currently no clear clues or evidence, Grossi said.

The permanent presence of international experts helps the IAEA not only to monitor the situation at the nuclear power plant, but also to prevent attacks on the plant and a nuclear accident. “We will continue our work there,” said Grossi.

Soldiers injured in Ukrainian drone attack on barracks in Chechnya

Four soldiers were slightly injured in a Ukrainian drone attack on a barracks in the Russian republic of Chechnya, authorities there said.

The head of the republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, threatened Ukraine with revenge in a post on his Telegram social media channel.

The drone was reportedly shot down and exploded in the air. The roof of the barracks was damaged, window panes were broken and a fire was extinguished.

“As for morale, such attempts only strengthen our belief in victory and our desire to defeat the enemy as soon as possible,” Kadyrov wrote. “A reserve of 84,000 volunteers and fighters from the Chechen Republic is ready to move to the front at the first order.”

Chechen soldiers are already deployed in Ukraine.

There were previous drone attacks in Chechnya at the start of the month and in October. Kadyrov also threatened Kyiv with revenge after those attacks on the North Caucasus republic.

NATO estimates 1 million casualties in Ukraine war

NATO believes that over 1 million people been killed or injured in Ukraine since February 2022.

“Every week, there are over 10,000 killed or wounded on all sides in Ukraine,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in Brussels.

“Every day, this war causes more devastation and death,” he added.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy had previously said that 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in the war.

In addition, 370,000 soldiers were treated for war injuries, half of whom returned to military service.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump recently cited similar figures.

On social media, he wrote about 600,000 Russian soldiers killed or wounded and about 400,000 Ukrainian casualties to date.

Kremlin praises Orbán and views Zelenskyy as dialogue refusenik

The Kremlin has praised the mediation efforts of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the Russian war in Ukraine, and once again accused Kyiv of sabotaging negotiations.

Orbán had proposed a comprehensive prisoner exchange and a Christmas ceasefire, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, referring to Orbán’s telephone call with President Vladimir Putin the previous day.

“Judging by the reaction of Zelenskyy and his entourage on social media, the Ukrainian side has rejected all of Orbán’s proposals,” Peskov added.

Zelensky had criticized the phone call. He said that Orbán undermines the unity of Europe necessary for a strong negotiating position.

Russia, Peskov said, supports Orbán’s mediation efforts.

He also asserted that Russia had never rejected peace negotiations and had repeatedly declared its willingness to resume them. As conditions for this, Russia sees, among other things, territorial concessions from Ukraine and Kyiv’s renunciation of NATO membership.

Zelenskyy demands the complete withdrawal of Russian troops.

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