Russia has launched nearly 100 missiles of various types over the past day, the Ukrainian military said Friday.
Much attention has been focused on several launches of Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles, which are especially difficult to stop. Ukrainian officials have acknowledged their defense systems are not holding up well enough.
Here’s what to know:
- Continued Russian shelling: Russia has launched a total of 95 missiles of various types over the past day, the Ukrainian military said. While Ukraine’s defenses knocked down 34 of the strikes, dozens of missiles pounded infrastructure targets, further battering the country’s fragile energy systems. At least half a dozen people were injured specifically in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, said Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the region’s military administration. The attacks hit private houses and damaged a gas pipeline, he said.
- The situation in Bakhmut: The eastern Ukrainian city remains the target of some of the heaviest direct Russian fire, according to a spokesperson for the Ukrainian military. A third wave of fighters from the Wagner private military company fighting in the area is being replaced by Russia’s regular army, an official said.
- Wagner recruitment: The private military company, Wagner, will be opening dozens of new “recruitment centers” across Russia, the head of the group said in a statement published by his holding company, Concord. The Wagner group has been active throughout the war in Ukraine, and its head, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has recently been outspoken about ammunition issues, placing the blame for his fighters’ deaths on Russia’s defense ministry.
- Western support: US President Joe Biden and European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen pledged “security, economic, and humanitarian support” to Ukraine for as long as it needs. Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley defended US support of Ukraine even at a time when Republicans, who control the House of Representatives, are bitterly divided on Capitol Hill over whether to continue sending weapons and aid to the nation.
- Tension in Moldova: The US intelligence community believes that people with ties to Russian intelligence are planning to stage protests in Moldova to try to foment a manufactured insurrection against the Moldovan government, with the ultimate goal of seeing a more pro-Russia administration installed there, White House officials said. The US believes that Russia is working to weaken the Moldovan government, the officials said, which is seeking closer ties with the European Union.
Source : CNNWorld