Ukraine war news – latest: Russia claims it is ‘fully committed’ to avoiding nuclear war

US intelligence agencies believe parts of the Ukrainian government authorised a car bomb attack near Moscow in August that killed Darya Dugina, the daughter of a prominent Russian nationalist, the New York Times reported.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report, which cited unidentified U.S. officials. Ukraine repeated on Thursday its denial of any involvement in the attack.

The United States took no part in the attack on Dugina and was not aware of it ahead of time, the Times reported. American officials later admonished Ukrainian officials over the assassination, the Times said.

Dugina, 29, was killed when a car bomb tore through the Toyota Land Cruiser she was driving on Aug. 20. Her father, Alexander, who had been in a separate car, was pictured holding his head in shock as he surveyed the wreckage of the vehicle.

After the killing, Ukraine denied any involvement, while Russia‘s Federal Security Service (FSB) accused Ukraine‘s secret services of being behind it.

If Ukraine were behind the killing, it would illustrate Kyiv’s ability to strike at targets in Moscow while also potentially opening up the Ukrainian elite in Kyiv to revenge attacks from Russia.

“The involvement of the Ukrainian state in this terrorist act, in this murder of a young girl was argued and proven by our special services,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

Peskov said the Times report was positive in the sense that it appeared that U.S. intelligence agreed with Russia on who was behind the killing.

However, he added: “I really want to hope that this is not some attempt by our American colleagues to absolve themselves of responsibility for any preparations for future terrorist acts which the Ukrainian state, the Ukrainian regime, might prepare.”

Seven Russian missiles have struck a residential block in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, killing at least one woman and injuring several others, a local official has said.

Residents were left trapped in the rubble of their homes of the five-story building after the strikes rained down in the city close to Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant on Thursday.

Governor Oleksandr Starukh told Ukrainian television that one woman was killed in shelling overnight, and another who had been reported dead had survived.

There is regular shelling in Kupyansk, large parts of which have already been damaged and destroyed, when Kim Sengupta visits.

Groups waiting on streets to be evacuated, or for welfare supplies to arrive, scurry for cover as explosions gouge craters on the road, he writes.

Russia was informed via diplomatic channels that there were no plans to invite Moscow to join an investigation into Nord Stream gas leaks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.

Peskov added that Russia considers it is impossible to conduct such an investigation without Moscow’s participation.

Moscow has said it remains “fully committed” to the principle of never allowing a nuclear war to be fought, as fears have grown over a possible dramatic escalation in the seven-month conflict with Ukraine.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a briefing on Thursday that Moscow’s position – that a nuclear war must never be fought – had not changed.

President Vladimir Putin had previously said he was “not bluffing” over his willingness to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia‘s territorial integrity.

The Kremlin on Thursday denied reports that 700,000 Russians have fled the country since Moscow announced a mobilisation drive that it said would call up hundreds of thousands to fight in Ukraine.

In a briefing with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he did not have exact figures for how many people had left the country since president Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a “partial mobilisation” on 21 September.

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Nato to show strength against Russia as he told them: “You don’t need to be afraid of anyone.”

Addressing the Lowy Institute in Australia via video link, MrZelensky said: “Not only Ukraine has to demonstrate its strengths to Russia, but the alliance has also to demonstrate that they are not afraid of Russia. It’s a question to Nato.

“But I know that everyone realises that security guarantees for Ukraine are something that is necessary. And I think we are on that path. We shall definitely take this path. How fast it’s going to be, unfortunately, it depends not only on Ukraine.”

He added that “without Ukraine, Nato is not such a strong alliance” and his country’s application to join the organisation is a “very important step” for the east of Europe.

Russia‘s foreign ministry said on Thursday it was “unthinkable” that an investigation into ruptures on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines would proceed without Russia‘s participation.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the West was purposefully creating obstacles to the investigation and said the exclusion of Russia and Gazprom from the probe showed it had something to hide.

President Vladimir Putin last week directly accused the United States and its allies of carrying out the attack on the pipelines, which has threatened to put them permanently out of use.

The head of the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog is expected to visit Kyiv this week to discuss the situation at the Zaporizhzhia facility after Putin signed a decree Wednesday declaring that Russia was taking over the six-reactor plant.

Ukraine‘s foreign ministry called it a criminal act and said it considered Putin’s decree “null and void.”

The state nuclear operator, Energoatom, said it would continue to operate the plant.Rafael Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, plans to talk with Ukrainian officials about the Russian move.

He will also discuss efforts to set up a secure protection zone around the facility, which has been damaged in the fighting and seen staff including its director abducted by Russian troops.Grossi will travel to Moscow for talks with Russian officials after a stop in Kyiv.

Liz Truss has said Europe must “continue to stand firm” with Ukraine as she arrived in the Czech Republic for a key set of meetings in Prague.

The prime minister tweeted: “Europe is facing its biggest crisis since the Second World War with unity and resolve. We must continue to stand firm to ensure that Ukraine wins this war, dealing with the strategic challenges that it has exposed.”