The Kremlin expresses “excessive concern” over claims {that a} Ukrainian missile was shot down in Belarus

Russian forces shelled the whole frontline of the Donetsk area from Thursday evening to Friday morning, in line with the pinnacle of the regional navy administration, whereas preventing continued within the japanese Ukrainian area.

Pavlo Kyrylenko mentioned the cities of Vuhledar and Kurakhivska had been among the many settlements that had been attacked. The city of Kostyantynivka, round 20 kilometers from the entrance, was hit by rocket fireplace on Thursday, damaging colleges and a theater.

The Ukrainian navy additionally reported artillery shelling of Maryinka and Avdiivka in Donetsk on Friday morning. Russian forces had been mentioned to be stepping up assaults round a number of settlements instantly west and north of town of Donetsk, an space the place entrance traces have modified little because the Russian invasion.

A lot of the fiercest preventing of the battle has raged round the important thing metropolis of Bakhmut in Donetsk. Each side have been engaged in brutal fight there since Russian forces started their earnest siege of town in Could.

An aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Oleksiy Arestovych, mentioned Thursday that each Ukrainian and Russian forces had been experiencing heavy troop losses in Bakhmut and the close by city of Soledar, describing the preventing there as “very critical”.

Elsewhere: Russian forces attacked a number of elements of the japanese Luhansk area, the place Ukrainian forces have made modest progress since September, in line with the Ukrainian navy.

Within the northeastern Sumy area, officers reported cross-border mortar fireplace, the aftermath of which was unclear.

And within the southern Zaporizhia area, authorities mentioned practically twenty settlements had been shelled, some a long way from the entrance line, damaging houses and civilian infrastructure.