Russian Defense Minister Beloussov: Ukrainian forces pull out of Kharkiv at 10:04.
Ukrainian troops have withdrawn approximately 8-9 kilometers in strategic areas around Kharkiv, according to Russian Defense Minister Andrei Bukrejev. Russian forces seized control of more than 28 settlements in Ukraine back in May, and have captured a total land area of 880 square kilometers this year.
9:52 Energy facilities in Kiev damaged by Russian missile strikeSome energy facilities in the Ukrainian capital Kiev were damaged by a Russian missile attack. DTEK, the energy company, confirmed that a power plant was destroyed and power lines in the Holosiyivskyi district were harmed. A few residential homes are currently without electricity. Russian forces employed drones and Iskander ballistic short-range missiles, as per the Ukrainian Air Force.
9:28 Ukrainian General Staff: Russian oil depot in Crimea attackedUkraine military forces targeted an oil depot located in the Russian port of Kavkaz during the previous night. The Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff reported the incident. Earlier, witnesses reported explosion and massive fire in the port of Kavkaz, and several videos posting on social media claimed to show the attack. Allegedly, the oil depot was damaged by Neptune missiles of Ukrainian origin. The extent of the damage is currently unclear. Additionally, Ukrainian forces allegedly attacked two ferries nearby the Kerch Bridge. The Kavkaz port is situated on the island of Tuzla in Crimea, which was occupied by Russia.
8:54 NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg: No escalation concerns over US green-lighting attacks on Russian targetsJens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary General, doesn't see any risk of escalation following the decision of the U.S. to allow Ukraine to target Russian military targets. "Russia is the one escalating with its ongoing attacks on another country," Stoltenberg said during a meeting with NATO Foreign Ministers in Prague. Meanwhile, Stoltenberg also intensified the pressure on Germany and other countries to also allow allied states to target Russian military targets using weapons they supply. Stoltenberg stressed this is particularly relevant given the ongoing battles in the Kharkiv region near the border with Russia.
8:41 Ukrainian Air Force: Four Shahed drones, an Iskander missile downed overnightUkrainian air defenses shot down four Russian Shahed attack drones and one Iskander missile during the night. Mykola Oleschtschuk, the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, shared this information on Telegram. According to him, these drones and missiles were brought down in Kiev, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk, and the Iskander missile was brought down in Kiev.
7:45 Fatalities rise to four, 25 injured after rocket attack in KharkivWith another body discovered in the wreckage of a building, the death toll in a Russian rocket attack on Kharkiv has risen to four. 25 people were also injured. This was stated by the Kharkiv region governor, Oleh Synehubov, via Telegram and reported by Ukrinform. "Sadly, we found another body in the destroyed building."
7:31 Kyiv: Approximately 1400 Russian soldiers killed or incapable of fighting dailyThe Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reported around 1400 Russian soldiers killed or unable to fight in a 24-hour period, beginning with the start of the war in February 2022. The total number of Russians "eliminated" since the war's beginning is 507,650. Ukraine's Defense Ministry also indicated Russia has lost 18 more tanks (7728) during the same period, with almost 15,000 armored vehicles and about 10,500 drones no longer in Russian possession or destroyed. These numbers cannot be independently validated. Moscow does not share its losses in Ukraine.
7:14 Two people injured in Ukrainian air strike on Russian oil facilities in KrasnodarAn Ukrainian air strike against Russian oil facilities in the southern region of Krasnodar resulted in two injuries, according to local authorities. Veniamin Kondratyev, the region's governor, confirmed this via Telegram, stating that the infrastructure of an oil depot was damaged. Debris from shot-down drones helped ignite a fire, which was subsequently extinguished. The Russian Defense Ministry declared that five rockets and 29 drones were shot down by Russian air defense systems in the Krasnodar region, as well as Voronezh, Belgorod, and Tambov.
6:48 Russian reports of explosions in Russian-occupied Crimea overnightThere were reports of explosions in the territory of Crimea, occupied by Russia.
In occupied Crimea, witnesses reported multiple explosions overnight, as shared by the Telegram channel Crimean Wind, which was later picked up by the Ukrinform news agency. "More explosions have been heard in Port Kavkaz, and residents of Kerch have claimed to have heard at least eight to ten blasts," reads the post. It's suggested that there's a fire raging at an oil facility in the harbor. Earlier in the day, there were already reports of a significant fire at the same port. As stated by the Ukrainian General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, two ferries from Kerch have apparently been struck by ATACMS rockets.
06:17 U.S.: Russia employs North Korean rockets in Ukraine
The US Military has conducted an analysis of the debris and confirmed that Russia has utilized North Korean-made rockets in its ongoing battle with Ukraine. "The research confirms that Russia has used missiles manufactured in North Korea in its war against Ukraine. Parts of North Korean projectiles have been discovered throughout Ukraine," stated the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in a communication.
04:34 China's backing of Russia poses a potential danger to Europe
According to the United States government, China's support for Russia not only endangers Ukraine but also European security. Officials from the US State Department, alongside G7 partners and other European Union and NATO countries, argue that "China's backing for Russia's actions in Ukraine not only threatens Ukraine but also European security." The United States cited previous instances of Chinese leadership's support for Russia's war in Ukraine and hence, are prepared to impose more sanctions on China.
02:50 A rocket strikes a residential structure in Kharkiv: Three civilians die
At night, Russia fired rockets from Belgorod at Kharkiv. Per local authorities, five impacts were recorded within the city limits, one of which hit a five-story residential building. According to the news outlet Ukranska Pravda, approximately twenty residential buildings were damaged as a result. Three people were reportedly killed and sixteen more were injured in the attack, with two of the injured victims being children.
01:46 SPD Spokesperson advocates for permitting the use of Western weapons in Russia by Ukraine
Nils Schmid, the SPD's foreign policy spokesperson, supports granting Ukraine the permission to use Western weapons against military targets in Russia. "It makes sense to lift the restrictions on targets within Russia," Schmid stated in an interview with newspapers from the Funke Media Group. "The NATO allies need to come to a collective decision on this matter."
00:06 Scholz Rules Out Dispatch of German Soldiers to Ukraine, No-Fly Zone Participation
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has ruled out the dispatch of German soldiers to Ukraine and their involvement in a no-fly zone. "We don't wish to involve our soldiers," he said during a reader's meeting at the Thuringian Allgemeine in Erfurt. Scholz reiterated his stance against the "hasty" proposal of a no-fly zone, stating that it would mean shooting down aircraft from other nations in an effort to protect the skies and that "this would amount to a war."
22:25 The US explicitly allows Ukraine to utilize U.S. weaponry against Russia - with constraints
Sources within the U.S. administration claim that the United States now allows Ukraine to deploy U.S. weapons against Russia, though only within the Kharkiv region. This is considered a shift in position by President Joe Biden, who had previously denied Ukraine's use of U.S. weaponry for operations within Russia. The United States has maintained the stipulation that Ukraine should not target the Russian territory using its own long-range rockets or other munitions for offensive operations.
22:06 The Ukrainian Liut Brigade shares footage of street battles in Vovchansk
The Liut Brigade, a police unit of the Ukrainian armed forces, is engaged in the defense of the city of Vovchansk along with other members of the military. The brigade has recently published a video that allegedly showcases clashes within the city. According to the brigade, the footage shows members of the Storm Regiment Tsunami thwarting Russian troops from invading a certain building.
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Read also:
- Amidst the ongoing Ukraine conflict, Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, urged NATO to provide more substantial military support to Ukraine, including cyberwar capabilities, to counteract the Russian attacks.
- Following the Russian Defense Minister's announcement of Ukrainian forces withdrawing from Kharkiv, there have been increasing concerns about Russian military operations near the border, prompting NATO to consider potential cyberwarfare defenses and support for Ukraine.
- As Russia continues to launch attacks on Ukraine, such as the missile strike on energy facilities in Kiev and the bombing of residential buildings in Kharkiv, international organizations and allies, like NATO, have started exploring the possibility of engaging in cyberwarfare to support Ukraine's defense.
- In response to the Ukraine conflict and the escalating militarization in the region, NATO has begun to prioritize cyberwarfare capabilities and stronger cooperation with Ukraine to protect its digital infrastructure, as an alternative to direct military intervention.
