UPDATED NEWS HEADLINES FROM WAR RUSSIA -UKRAINE WAR THEATER
( London Post in collaboration with AFP, AP,AAP and Reuters )
KYIV ( AFP )According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched 81 missiles, including six Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, and eight of her drones into Ukraine in a strike early Thursday morning.
Ukraine destroyed 34 cruise missiles and four suicide drones, and also prevented eight drones and guided missiles from reaching their targets, the statement said. Ukrainian military fails to intercept Kinzhal missile.
President Volodymyr Zelensky lashed out at Russia after the largest barrage of missiles across Ukraine in weeks hit at least 10 of the country’s 27 regions. “The enemy has returned to their terrible tactics by firing 81 rockets to intimidate the Ukrainians again. He listed affected areas across Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Kharkiv mayor says electricity, water and heating are unavailable after rocket attack
Electricity, water and heating were cut off in Ukraine’s second-largest city Kharkov on Thursday after Russia fired more than 80 cruise missiles at power plants across the country.
‘Worst long-range rocket and drone attack’ on Ukraine in weeks
“This Thursday morning has seen the worst long-range rocket and drone attack on Ukraine for several weeks, with [an] air alert that lasted for five hours overnight and nine regions of Ukraine affected,”
Russian Defence Ministry says it hit Ukraine with “massive” strike in retaliation for ‘terrorist attack’
Russia’s Defence Ministry said that its forces had carried out a “massive retaliatory strike” on Ukrainian infrastructure after what it called a terrorist attack in Russia’s Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, last week.
EU tells member states to cut gas use further amid Ukraine war
The European Commission will tell EU member states to continue to reduce their gas consumption next winter after meeting a previous energy-saving target, a senior EU official said on Thursday.
Russian strikes near Zaporizhzhia plant ‘serious breach’ of nuclear safety, EU says
The EU’s top diplomat said Thursday that the Russian strikes in Ukraine, which caused the disconnection of the Zaporizhzhia atomic power plant from the grid, was a “serious breach” of nuclear safety.
The interruption of the power supply, which was restored by midday on Thursday, meant that emergency diesel generators had to be used to cool the plant, had “significantly” increased the risk of a nuclear accident, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.
Ukraine to jointly buy gas with EU countries
Ukraine will take part in the EU scheme to jointly buy gas in global markets, to procure 2 billion cubic metres of the fuel ahead of next winter, the EU energy policy chief said on Thursday.
Russia says Brussels ignoring talks on inquiry into Nord Stream blasts
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that the EU is completely ignoring any talks on the need to carry out an investigation of the Nord Stream gas pipeline blasts.
Ukraine denies involvement in planned attack in Moldova, slams Kremlin
‘provocation’
Ukraine’s SBU security service on Thursday denied involvement in an alleged attack being planned in Moldova’s breakaway Transnistria region, which borders Ukraine, that pro-Moscow separatist authorities said was organised by Kyiv.
Ukraine nuclear plant outages an ‘unacceptable risk’, France says
France on Thursday warned of the “unacceptable risk for nuclear security” from power cuts at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia power plant, after a Russian missile strike left it running on diesel generators.