This week, the situation on the Kharkiv axis has stabilized. Fighting continued to rage in Donetsk region. The most tense situation was in the Pokrovsk direction. Russia has for the first time used Qaem-5 guided aerial bombs supplied by Iran.
Ukraine strikes back, adding to a string of attacks on sites deep inside Russia. Early this week, Ukrainian drones targeted sites close to Putin’s palace in Gelendzhik, in Russia’s Krasnodar region. Ukrainian missile and naval drone strikes on Kerch late in the week likely hit seven Russian vessels.
Ukraine’s allies have shown increasing signs of support for the country. NATO member states were discussing a possibility of intercepting Russian missiles over western Ukraine, Bild said. Sweden will provide two surveillance aircraft, missiles and armored personnel carriers to Ukraine as part of its latest military aid package. President Joe Biden weighs letting Ukraine strike with U.S. weapons into Russia. France could send military trainers to the country soon. French President Emmanuel Macron said Ukraine should be able to use western weapons to strike military targets inside Russia.
Russia launches a cruise missile at Kyiv, damaging energy facilities. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the attack early on Friday used an Iskander-K cruise missile, which was intercepted. The strike destroyed a power substation and damaged the power grid in the Holosiyivskyi district of the Ukrainian capital, the DTEK energy company said. There were no casualties.
Russia launched five S-300/S-400 missiles at Kharkiv overnight on Friday. A five-story apartment building was damaged. At least five people were killed, and 23 others were injured.