Ukraine accuses Russia of a false flag operation with the attack on the important gas infrastructure of Sudzha, in the Russian border region of Kursk, to later accuse Kiev of breaking the truce that both parties have committed to declare to end attacks on the enemy's energy sector.
Meanwhile, Russia accuses Ukraine of blowing up the important Russian gas station, which it has labeled as a "terrorist act" and has opened a criminal case on the incident that caused "significant damage" to the Sudzha infrastructure.
Continuing with nightly drone attacks, negotiations for a possible truce in the Ukraine-Russia war, and European Union summits for the rearmament of Europe in light of the new geopolitical situation with the arrival of Donald Trump to the White House.
Russian anti-aircraft defenses shot down 46 Ukrainian drones overnight, most over the southern Volgograd region. In turn, Kiev denounces that Russia launched 214 drones over Ukraine.
Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán is the dissenting voice in this European unity by refusing to sign a EU text supporting Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski accused him of blocking decisions "important for the entire continent."
Sergey Shoigu, Secretary of the Security Council of Russia, has arrived in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, and plans to meet with senior North Korean officials, including leader Kim Jong Un. North Korea recently reported the dispatch of additional troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine.
Russia Accuses Ukraine of "Terrorism" for Blowing Up One of its Gas Stations in Sudzha
Russia accused Ukraine on Friday of blowing up a significant Russian gas pumping and measuring station in the Kursk region near the Ukrainian border, in what it called an "act of terrorism," Reuters reports.
"The Russian Investigative Committee, which investigates serious crimes, said in a statement that it had opened a criminal case on the incident which, it said, had caused "significant damage" to the facility near the city of Sudzha.
The Ukrainian military has denied involvement in the attack.
The facility, once used by Gazprom to export gas through Ukraine to Europe, is in a region largely recaptured by Russian forces this week after fierce fighting with Ukrainian troops who had held it since last year.
UN: Devastating Effects of the Ukraine War on Children
At least 669 children have died and 1,833 have been injured in Ukraine, and nearly two and a half million have left their homes due to three years of a conflict that has had a "devastating impact" on the country's children, a report presented by the UN Office for Human Rights indicates, Efe reports.
Of the confirmed deceased children - although the actual number could be much higher as acknowledged by the office - 521 died in the territory controlled by Ukraine and 148 in the area occupied by Russia, the document published on Friday states.
Regarding the displaced, 737,000 children remain in Ukraine but away from their homes, and 1.7 million are refugees in other nations, many of them separated from one of their parents, usually their father.
"The hostilities and the occupation of part of Ukraine by Russia have caused serious abuses and unimaginable suffering to millions of children, whose rights have been violated in all aspects, leaving deep scars both physical and psychosocial," analyzed the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk.
Ukraine Accuses Russia of a False Flag Operation to Blame it for Disrupting the Truce
The Ukrainian General Staff accused Russia on Friday of having attacked its own gas infrastructure in the town of Sudzha in the Russian region of Kursk to then accuse Kiev of disrupting the truce that both parties have committed to declare to end attacks on the enemy's energy sector.
"Russia is intensifying its campaign to discredit Ukraine. In particular, the enemy has accused the Ukrainian Armed Forces of bombing the gas measurement station in Sudzha. The accusations have no basis," reads a statement released by Kiev's General Staff.
The note adds that the Russians have attacked the infrastructure with artillery to blame Ukraine, which was forced to withdraw from the town of Sudzha this month due to increasing Russian pressure, which has managed to expel Kiev's troops from most of the territory they controlled in the Russian region of Kursk.
In a message posted on Telegram, the head of the Disinformation Center of the National Security Council of Ukraine, Andriy Kovalenko, also attributed the attack to the Russians.
According to Kovalenko, this alleged action by the Russians is "one of the first information operations against Ukraine to blame it for breaking the ceasefire that Russia itself has not complied with from day one."
Russia committed last Tuesday to immediately declare a ceasefire in attacks on Ukrainian infrastructures, which, according to Kiev, it has repeatedly violated since then.
Kovalenko predicted that Russia will carry out many other false flag operations of this kind to accuse Ukraine of breaking the ceasefire.
Kiev has shown willingness to declare a partial truce in attacks on energy and other civilian infrastructures but requests that the objectives that cannot be bombed during this ceasefire be specified first.
Kiev and Moscow Accuse Each Other of Attacking the Russian Gas Station in Soudja
Kiev and Moscow accused each other on Friday of attacking the important gas measurement station of Soudja, occupied by Ukrainian forces since the summer of 2024 in the Russian border region of Kursk, which allowed Russian gas to be transported to Europe through Ukrainian territory.
The Russian state television Rossia 24, as well as several Russian news channels on Telegram, including Baza - close to law enforcement - and Mash, published images of the station on fire, accusing the Ukrainian army of being responsible, Afp reports.
However, Russian authorities made no official announcement, and the Ukrainian Army General Staff quickly denounced "a smear campaign" by Russia. "These accusations are unfounded. In fact, the station has been bombed several times by the Russians themselves," declared the Ukrainian General Staff on Facebook, stating that the forces had "fired artillery shells at the facility" during the night.
It was "bombed last summer by guided bombs, and three days ago, the Russians attacked it again with guided missiles," this source added. The gas measurement station of Soudja has been under the control of Ukrainian forces since August 2024.
North Korea Reportedly Deployed Between 1,000 and 3,000 New Soldiers in Russia
Shoigu's visit comes after Ukraine and Russia agreed in principle on Wednesday to a limited ceasefire following talks between US President Donald Trump and his counterparts in Kiev and Moscow, although it remains to be seen when it could take effect and what possible targets would be excluded, Ap reports.