Dead in Russian shelling on Slaviansk and Berlin calls for additional sanctions on Moscow

Nine people were killed in a Russian missile attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Slaviansk, while Germany called on the European Union to impose sanctions on the Russian nuclear industry.

Veronika Pakhal, a spokeswoman for the State Emergency Service Office in Donetsk province, said rescue workers had recovered the body of a woman from the rubble of an apartment building in Slaviansk, while the search for four more people continued.

The Ukrainian news agency had earlier announced that Russian forces fired at least 7 missiles in the city on Friday, 6 of which hit the residential area, and a rocket hit a park.

Ukraine's Interior Ministry said the attack damaged 34 residential buildings, 20 private houses, infrastructure materials and 12 cars.

Comment by Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on his Telegram page a video he said was of the bombing of Slaviansk, one of the largest cities in eastern Ukraine, and said: "The Russians brutally bombed Slaviansk, hit houses, and unfortunately there are wounded and dead."

Zelensky pointed out that Russia "showed its true face by killing people in broad daylight," stressing that "all forms of terrorism will be held accountable, and that they will not leave any trace of Russia and the enemy unpunished on their territory."

On the other hand, local authorities in Donetsk said that 4 people were killed and 10 wounded in a Ukrainian shelling that targeted the city of Yasinovataya.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in an interview with Al Jazeera that Russian President Vladimir Putin miscalculated on Ukraine, adding that his country will continue to fight until the last Russian soldier leaves its territory.

Kuleba stressed that any peace plan that any party wishes to put forward should be based on the fundamental principle of respect for Ukraine's territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.

Nuclear sanctions

In a related context, the German government called on the European Union to impose sanctions on the Russian nuclear industry in light of Moscow's intensification of Moscow's war on Ukraine.

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck told dpa news agency: "It is clear that Russia is deliberately using dependency in the energy sector as a means of exerting pressure, so the German government is now calling on the European Commission to include the civil nuclear sector as part of the next sanctions package."

Russia exports uranium used to make nuclear fuel rods and stores radioactive waste on its territory, among other activities in the nuclear sector.

Habeck said it was necessary for the EU to become more independent of Russia, adding: "We have already come a long way in many areas — including the energy sector — but the nuclear sector remains open."

The minister stated that it is not justified to continue to give the sector preferential treatment, and said that "nuclear technology is a very sensitive area, and Russia can no longer be considered a reliable partner here."

Habeck called for sanctions against countries that obtain uranium from Russia despite the war, after a visit to Kiev in early April.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (left) called from Beijing to stop encouraging war in Ukraine (Getty Images)

Promoting peace

Brazilian President Luiz Lula da Silva called on the United States to stop "encouraging war" in Ukraine.

Graziano da Silva told reporters in Beijing on Saturday: "The United States should stop encouraging war and start talking about peace."

He added that the international community could then "convince" Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky that "peace is in the interest of the whole world."

Unlike many Western powers, neither China nor Brazil have imposed sanctions on Russia and are trying to play the role of mediator, while Beijing is under increasing international pressure to influence Moscow and push it to the negotiating table.

The Brazilian president is putting forward the idea of forming a group of countries aimed at working for peace in Ukraine, which he promised before his visit to China that this group would be formed after his return.

Asked about the idea after meeting the Chinese president, Da Silva gave no further details, saying only that "patience is necessary" to talk to Putin and Zelensky, adding: "Countries that provide weapons and encourage war must be persuaded to stop it."