Russia has once again targeted the capital of Ukraine tonight. Alarms sounded in Kiev in the early hours, and after an attack with kamikaze drones that were destroyed by Ukrainian anti-aircraft defenses, eight missiles, including hypersonic Kinzhal missiles and Iskander/KN-23 ballistic missiles, hit different parts of the city, leaving at least one dead, two injured, and buildings on fire in various areas of the city. Ukrainian authorities also reported missile attacks in other locations such as the port city of Kherson in the south, where one person died and six were injured.
On the front lines, Russia is attacking in Pokrovsk, Kurakhove, and Vremivka in the Donetsk region with a total of 150,000 men who continue to launch dozens of assaults daily. The Russian army tends to maintain this number of soldiers despite massive casualties by transferring troops from other areas of the contact line.
Kiev continues to emphasize the high number of casualties in the Russian offensive in Donetsk and clings to the possibility of a collapse of Russian offensive capabilities due to these massive losses. Meanwhile, Russian forces are gaining ground almost daily in various areas of the front and threaten to completely surround Ukrainian units defending at least two areas in the Kurakhove and Vremivka fronts.
Russia says it attacked military targets in Ukraine in response to a missile attack supplied by the West
Russian forces attacked military targets in Ukraine with high-precision, long-range weapons on Friday in response to an attack on the Russian region of Rostov this week in which Ukraine used missiles supplied by the United States and Great Britain, the Russian Ministry of Defense said, according to Reuters.
Russia said on Thursday that Ukraine had launched six long-range ATACM missiles of American manufacture and four Storm Shadow missiles of British manufacture against the Rostov region in southern Russia on Wednesday.
Turkey granted exemption for gas payments to Russia amid sanctions on Gazprombank
Turkey has been granted an exemption for gas payments to Russia amid sanctions imposed on Gazprombank by the United States, said Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, according to Reuters.
In November, the United States imposed new sanctions on Russia's Gazprombank after President Joe Biden escalated actions to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine before leaving office in January.
Five Russian deserters die in a fire
Five Russian soldiers who deserted their units and were in a detention center in the Russian republic of Yakutia (Far East) died in a fire, the local military police station reported on Friday.
Another seven detainees were hospitalized after inhaling smoke in this fire that occurred in the detention center overnight from Thursday to Friday, the station reported on Telegram.
Investigators are working at the scene to determine the causes of the fire and identify the deceased, according to the same source.
Russia shoots down 36 Ukrainian drones over four Russian regions and the Black Sea
Russian anti-aircraft defense forces shot down 36 Ukrainian drones over four Russian regions and the Black Sea last night, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported today, according to Efe.
"During the past night, attempts by the Kiev regime to carry out terrorist attacks with fixed-wing drones against targets on Russian territory were thwarted. The anti-aircraft defense forces intercepted and destroyed 36 Ukrainian drones," the Russian command stated on Telegram.
According to Defense, most of the drones, a total of 16, were shot down in the Krasnodar region, where a similar drone attack the day before caused a fire at the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery, the largest in southern Russia.
Russia conducts massive cyberattack on Ukraine's state records
Russia has carried out a massive cyberattack on Ukraine's state records, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna said on Thursday night, according to Reuters.
"Today, the largest external cyberattack in recent times against Ukraine's state records has occurred," Stefanishyna wrote on Facebook. "As a result of this selective attack, the work of the unified and state records, which are under the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice, has been temporarily suspended."
Stefanishyna said it was clear that the attack was "carried out by the Russians to disrupt the work of the country's critical infrastructure" and that efforts were underway to restore the systems.