TOP HEADLINES

· Russia's defense ministry said on Friday it had carried out massive missile strikes against Ukraine's energy infrastructure over the last 24 hours. RIA news agency reported the ministry saying that the same strikes had hit Ukrainian defense industry targets and that one of the attacks had disrupted a shipment of Western-made arms to the front. 

· Ukrainian officials said Russia had stepped up attempts to break through Ukraine's defenses with heavy fighting in the north and east of the country, underlining Kyiv's need for more Western weapons. READ MORE BELOW

· Poland will send an additional 60 tanks to Ukraine, as well as the 14 German-made Leopard 2 tanks it has already pledged, the Polish prime minister said in an interview with Canadian television.

· Ukraine and Russia are widely expected to launch a spring offensive, though the U.S. has publicly advised Ukraine against doing so until the latest weapons are in place and training has been provided – a process expected to take several months.

· Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki on Thursday on a tour of Africa to shore up support for Russia, focusing on the "dynamics of the war in Ukraine," Eritrea's information minister said. Lavrov has been on a week-long tour of the continent, starting in South Africa.

· The European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he hoped South Africa would use its good relations with Russia to convince it to stop the war in Ukraine.

· Japan tightened sanctions against Russia on Friday, expanding an export ban list and freezing assets of Russian officials and entities.

· Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy marked Holocaust Remembrance Day by urging the world to unite against "indifference" and "hatred," nearly one year into his country's conflict with Russia.

· Russian President Vladimir Putin repeated a claim that neo-Nazis were committing crimes in Ukraine – an allegation Moscow has used to justify its military intervention.

IN DETAIL

Ukraine: Russia attacking from the north and east

The Ukrainian military said fierce battles were under way, a day after Russian missiles and drones killed at least 11 people in what appeared to be a response to promises by Western nations to supply Ukraine with tanks.

After weeks of wrangling, Germany and the U.S. have promised Ukraine dozens of modern tanks to help push back Russian forces, opening the way for Canada, Poland, Finland, Norway and others to follow suit.

Russia accused the U.S. of "pumping weapons into Ukraine" and chided President Joe Biden, saying he held the key to ending the conflict in Ukraine – which Moscow says does Washington's bidding – but had not used it.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked allies for their support but renewed calls for tougher sanctions on Moscow and more weapons to repel the attackers in the 12th month of the war.

"This evil, this Russian aggression can and should be stopped only with adequate weapons. The terrorist state will not understand anything else," Zelenskyy said in his nightly television address on Thursday.

Local officials on Friday reported heavy shelling in the north, northeast and east of Ukraine, scene of some of the heaviest combat since Russia started what it calls its special military operation on February 24 last year.

"Fierce fighting continues along the front lines. Our defenders are firmly holding their positions and inflicting losses to the enemy," said Oleh Synehubov, governor of the northeastern region of Kharkiv.

News agencies could not verify battlefield reports.