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Ukraine conflict - day 352: Russian missiles cross Moldova, Lithuania delivers cannons
CGTN
Europe;Ukraine
Ukrainian troops ride a tank near the frontline town of Bakhmut, Donetsk region. /Yevhen Titov/Reuters
Ukrainian troops ride a tank near the frontline town of Bakhmut, Donetsk region. /Yevhen Titov/Reuters

Ukrainian troops ride a tank near the frontline town of Bakhmut, Donetsk region. /Yevhen Titov/Reuters

TOP HEADLINES

· Moldova said a Russian missile violated its airspace on Friday morning and summoned the Russian ambassador to protest. Two Russian missiles crossed into Moldovan airspace before entering Ukraine, according to Ukraine's commander in chief of the armed forces. Russia did not immediately comment on it.

· Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita announced that her government was resigning, after a turbulent 18 months in power marked by economic turmoil and the aftershocks of the Ukraine conflict.

· Ukraine said Russia launched "massive" missile and drone attacks, a day after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited some European countries to push for long-range weapons. On Friday morning, "the enemy struck cities and critical infrastructure facilities," the air force said, adding that seven Iranian-made "kamikaze" drones were launched from the Sea of Azov and six Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea. READ MORE BELOW

· Russia's new wave of missile strikes on energy infrastructure across Ukraine, caused power outages and restricted water supplies, prompting new calls by Kyiv for Western arms. At least 17 missiles hit the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia in an hour in the heaviest attack since the conflict began, local officials said.

· Russian forces are believed to have lost dozens of armored vehicles during a failed attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Vuhledar, British intelligence said.  

· Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov discussed nuclear safety issues with the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi during his visit to Moscow. The two men paid particular attention to the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in southern Ukraine, the TASS news agency reported.

· EU chief Charles Michel warned that the coming weeks could decide the course of Russia's offensive. "The next weeks and the next months will probably be decisive. It's not the moment to tremble, but to deploy full support," he said. 

· Swedish defense group Saab reported orders had doubled in the fourth quarter of 2022 as countries boost military spending following the conflict in Ukraine. Order intake for the Swedish company totalled $6.1 billion, a 45 percent increase from the previous year. 

· International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach has said Ukraine's calls to boycott the 2024 Paris Games over the possible participation of Russian competitors goes against Olympic "principles" as his organization was accused of being "on the wrong side of history." 

· Poland is still buying ten percent of its oil supplies from Russia, a deputy minister for state assets said, despite Warsaw's repeated calls for strengthening sanctions on Russian oil. An embargo on Russia oil products - like diesel, gasoline and jet fuel - implemented by the bloc came into effect on Sunday.

· Only 200,100 foreigners visited Russia in 2022, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) said, citing figures from border services, a drop of 96.1 percent from pre-pandemic years

Lithuanian army Bofors L70 anti-aircraft cannon is loaded to the truck to deliver to Ukraine./Ints Kalnins/Reuters
Lithuanian army Bofors L70 anti-aircraft cannon is loaded to the truck to deliver to Ukraine./Ints Kalnins/Reuters

Lithuanian army Bofors L70 anti-aircraft cannon is loaded to the truck to deliver to Ukraine./Ints Kalnins/Reuters

IN DETAIL

Moscow launches "massive" missile and drone attacks

Ukraine said Russia launched "massive" missile and drone attacks, a day after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited some European countries to push for long-range weapons.

On Friday morning, "the enemy struck cities and critical infrastructure facilities," the air force said, adding that seven Iranian-made "kamikaze" drones were launched from the Sea of Azov and six Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea.

The air force said it had shot down five drones and five Kalibr missiles. Russia also carried out a "massive" attack with "up to 35 anti-aircraft guided missiles" targeting the Kharkiv region in the east and the southern Zaporizhzhia region, it said.

In Kharkiv, "critical and infrastructure facilities were targeted" resulting in fires that were "quickly" put out, Governor Oleg Sinegubov said.

He said nobody was injured but some parts of the city were without power. 

"Energy and industrial infrastructure" suffered damage in Zaporizhzhia, leaving sections of the city without electricity, local official Anatoly Kurtev said. 

Kurtev said 17 strikes were recorded over the course of an hour, "the largest number" since the start of the conflict nearly one year ago. 

Ukraine's energy operator Ukrenergo, said "several high voltage facilities" were affected in the eastern, western and southern regions of Ukraine, leading to power outages in some areas. 

Russia also targeted "power plants and transmission system facilities," Ukrenergo said, adding that emergency power cuts have been put into place. 

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters

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