Russia fires more than 60 Shahed drones and nearly 90 missiles in vast overnight attack
Maryam Zakir-Hussain,Tom Watling,Alisha Rahaman Sarkar17 minutes ago
Russian missile strikes hit Ukraine’s largest dam in Zaporizhzhia this morning and caused partial blackouts in Kharkiv.
“There is currently a fire at the station. Emergency services and energy workers are working on the spot,” Ukraine’s state hydropower company said, adding that there was no risk of a breach.
Missile strikes earlier in the day targeted the power supply in Kharkiv, with at least 15 blasts reported for the northeastern city. Blasts were also reported from Vinnytsia, where an undisclosed number of locals sustained injuries.
Russia fired more than 60 Shahed drones and nearly 90 missiles in a vast overnight attack at Ukraine, president Volodymyr Zelensky said on the Telegram messaging app.
The fresh attack comes a day after a child and 12 others suffered injuries as Russian forces launched one of the biggest airstrikes on the Ukrainian capital in weeks.
Schools, residential buildings and industrial facilities were also damaged, Ukrainian officials said.
Meanwhile, a leading war think tank has said several indicators point to Russia preparing for a large-scale conflict with Nato.
RECOMMENDED
- Russia must face consequences for imprisonment of Wall Street Journal reporter, lawyer says
- Tucker Carlson’s interview with Putin is being taught in Russian schools
- Belgorod: The Russian border city under constant attack from Ukraine rocket launchers
- US congressman wears Putin mask to Biden impeachment hearing
KEY POINTS
- Ukraine’s biggest dam hit in ‘largest attack’ on energy infrastructure
- Russia missile strikes target power supply in Kharkiv
- Putin ‘preparing for large-scale Nato conflict’
- Kyiv foils major Russian missile attack
- EU leaders to discuss using profits from Russian assets to arm Ukraine
In pictures: Belgorod under attack
Pictures show burnt vehicles and damaged apartments after Ukrainian strikes on Russia‘s Belgorod region on Friday morning.
One person was killed in the strikes, according to regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain22 March 2024 09:30
More than 1 mln Ukrainians without power after Russian air strikes, official says
More than 1 million energy consumers across Ukraine were without power after overnight Russian air strikes on energy facilities, a top presidential official said on Friday.
The strikes had affected around 700,000 residents in the eastern Kharkiv region, at least 200,000 each in the southern Odesa and southeastern Dnipropetrovsk regions and another 110,000 in the central Poltava region, said Oleksiy Kuleba, deputy head of the presidential administration.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain22 March 2024 09:02
Russian air strike on Ukraine kills at least two and wounds 14
At least two people were killed and 14 wounded in Russia‘s latest overnight mass air strike on Ukraine, Kyiv’s interior minister said on Friday.
Another three people are missing, Ihor Klymenko wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain22 March 2024 08:08
Russia must face consequences for imprisonment of Wall Street Journal reporter, says lawyer
Russia must face consequences for its detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, a lawyer for the newspaper said as the journalist approaches the one-year anniversary of his arrest.
“In a scenario like this, where a reporter is taken off the beat for just doing his job — wrongfully detained — there ought to be immediate consequences from the government,” said Jason Conti, general counsel at Dow Jones, which publishes the newspaper. He was speaking at a National Press Club event in Washington.
Gershkovich was arrested on 29 March 2023 on espionage charges, which he and the newspaper deny, while on a reporting trip to the Russian city of Yekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains.
The US government has designated him as wrongfully detained and Russian authorities have detailed no evidence to support the charges.
More here.
Russia must face consequences for imprisonment of Wall Street Journal reporter, lawyer says
A lawyer for The Wall Street Journal says Russia must face consequences for its detention of Evan Gershkovich, one of the newspaper’s reporters
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar22 March 2024 07:48
IMF board okays $880m loan payment for Ukraine
The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) executive has approved the release of $880m (£696m) to Ukraine within a $15.6bn (£12.34bn) loan program.
The global lender said the risks facing Ukraine remained exceptionally high, particularly the uncertainties surrounding the war with Russia and prospects for external financing, although Ukraine mission chief Gavin Gray said the fund still expected the war in Ukraine to wind down by the end of 2024.
Ukraine should receive the funds in the coming days, Mr Gray said.
The IMF funds should be welcome news as the US Congress continues to debate approval for a $61bn (£48.2bn) supplemental aid package for Ukraine.
Mr Gray said the IMF would have to study the impact on Ukraine’s debt levels if US lawmakers decided to convert some of that funding to a loan instead of a grant.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar22 March 2024 07:30
Ukraine’s biggest dam hit in ‘largest attack’ on energy infrastructure
A Russian strike this morning hit Ukraine’s largest dam, the DniproHES in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine’s state hydropower company said.
It added there was no risk of a breach, while power infrastructure in other regions was also hit.
“There is currently a fire at the station. Emergency services and energy workers are working on the spot, dealing with the consequences of numerous airstrikes,” said Ukrhydroenerho, which runs Ukraine’s network of dams.
Ukraine’s energy minister, Herman Halushchenko, said it was the largest attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in the recent past.
“The goal is not just to damage, but to try again, like last year, to cause a large-scale failure of the country’s energy system,” he wrote on Facebook.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar22 March 2024 07:10
Ukraine shoots down dozens of Russian missiles to foil largest attack on Kyiv in weeks
Ukraine has foiled Russia’s largest attack on Kyiv in weeks – with the country’s air force saying all 31 missiles used in the assault were shot down.
The ballistic and cruise missiles, the first fired on the Ukrainian capital in 44 days, were knocked out of the sky, but at least 17 people were injured in Kyiv and the surrounding area by falling debris. Schools, residential buildings and industrial facilities were also damaged, Ukrainian officials said.
Ukraine shoots down 31 Russian missiles to foil largest attack on Kyiv in weeks
Kyiv officials say a mixture of ballistic and cruise missiles were all knocked out of the sky – with at least 17 people injured
Tom Watling22 March 2024 07:00
In pics: Destruction in Kyiv after Russian attack
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar22 March 2024 06:30
Russia says one killed in Ukraine attack on Belgorod
One person was killed by Ukrainian strikes on Russia’s Belgorod region this morning, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
The Russian defence ministry in a statement claimed it shot down eight Vampire rockets launched by Ukraine towards Belgorod.
Coercion Code - "Dark Times are upon us" 