Russia Ukraine war live: Moscow launches missile strikes on Ukrainian cities as Poland activates fighter jets

The pictures below show damage from the latest Russian attacks on Ukraine.

In the first, a firefighter works at the site of a Russian missile and drone strike in the Cherkasy region.

And below that, you can see residential buildings damaged in the city of Kamianske, in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

The largest private power firm, DTEK, said its three thermal power plants had come under attack.

“The equipment was severely damaged,” it said on Telegram. “After the attack ended, the power engineers promptly started to repair the damage.”

Ukrainian power distributor Yasno said this week that DTEK lost about half its capacity following Russian missile and drone attacks.

Ukrainian state-run Naftogaz oil and gas firm also said its facilities had come under attack on Friday morning.

“(Russian attacks) targeted Naftogaz Group’s facilities, but there was no serious damage,” it said in a statement, giving no more details.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said energy facilities in six Ukrainian regions had been attacked. He said Ukraine needs more air defence systems to secure critical infrastructure and protect the population.

The Ukrainian military said its air force had destroyed 58 Russia-launched attack drones overnight from a total of 60, along with 26 of 39 missiles.

“The enemy launched a powerful missile and air strike against the fuel and energy sector of Ukraine, using various types of missiles and attack drones,” the commander said.

Ukrainian television said explosions were heard in the regions of Ivano-Frankivsk and Khmelnytskyi as well as the city of Dnipro as Russian cruise missiles were spotted in Ukrainian air space.

Russian missile and drone attacks hit thermal and hydro power plants in central and western Ukraine, power grid operator Ukrenergo said on Friday, in the latest barrage targeting the country’s already damaged power infrastructure.

“During the night, the Russians struck again at energy facilities in a massive and combined attack,” Ukrenergo said on the Telegram messaging app. “Thermal and hydroelectric power plants in the central and western regions were damaged.”

Regional officials said Russian forces had attacked infrastructure in the Kamianske district near the city of Dnipro. At least one person was wounded, they added.

Ukrainian energy minister German Galushchenko also said power facilities in the regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava and Cherkasy were attacked.

“Electricity generation facilities were targeted by drones and missiles,” Gelushchenko said on Facebook.

Russia attacked three thermal power plants of Ukraine’s largest private power firm DTEK on Friday, damaging facilities, DTEK said.

“The equipment was severely damaged. After the attack ended, the power engineers promptly started to repair the damage,” the company said on the Telegram messaging app.

Polish and allied aircraft were activated early this morning after Russia launched missile strikes on Ukraine, the Operational Command of the Polish armed forces said.

“Polish and allied aircraft are operating in Polish airspace, which may result in increased noise levels, especially in the southeastern part of the country,” the Command said on the social media platform X.

The southeastern part of Poland borders Ukraine.

For Evan Gershkovich, the dozen appearances in Moscow‘s courts over the past year have fallen into a pattern.

Guards take the American journalist from the notorious Lefortovo Prison in a van for the short drive to the courthouse. He’s led in handcuffs to a defendants’ cage in front of a judge for yet another hearing about his pre-trial detention on espionage charges.

The proceedings are always closed. His appeals are always rejected, and his time behind bars is always extended. Then it’s back to Lefortovo.

In the month after his return to parliament, described as a “dark day” for Britain’s Jewish community, Mr Galloway espoused conspiracy theories about the Princess of Wales being dead and likened Israel to Nazi Germany.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago, fears have risen in neighboring Moldova that it could also be in Moscow’s crosshairs.

Like Ukraine, Moldova is a former Soviet republic that has aligned itself with the West and aspires to join the European Union. And both countries hope to eventually reintegrate Russian-speaking breakaway territories that view Moscow as their protector.

After a short war in the early 1990s, Transnistria declared independence from Moldova, where today’s pro-Western government has firmly opposed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war with Ukraine.

Russia’s ministry of health posted photos of the 71-year-old meeting patients at the capital’s Pirogov National Medical Center.

“What happened was a terrible tragedy that should not have happened,” he said. “And I think that Russia will serve as an example and let the world understand that you can’t just do this to any people and go unpunished.