Here are some improvements from regions across Ukraine:
Kiev: Russia confirmed on Friday that it had fired missiles at the capital and destroyed an arms factory late Thursday, while Ukrainian officials said at least one residential building had been attacked and that a journalist working for US-funded Radio Free Europe had been killed in the strike.
The attack, which concludes the visit of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to Kiev, has shaken the peace that has returned to the capital in recent weeks. Moscow shifted its attack to the east Ukraine.
KharkivThe governor of the Kharkiv region said on Saturday that fierce fighting had erupted around the city of Izyum as Russian forces struggled to advance, and that shelling had hit parts of the eastern region overnight. He said in a telegram that artillery attacks in the city had somewhat subsided in the past 24 hours, but he called on residents to remain vigilant and avoid large gatherings, even for funerals.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said on Saturday that Russian forces had deployed military units around Kharkiv and especially in the Isis.
Mariupol: The Azovstal steel plant and its environs have come under fire as besieged Ukrainian militants are clinging to their last hold in the southern port city. Ukrainian officials have announced that civilians and wounded soldiers will need medical help as the supply of food and water inside the plant is declining.
Mikhail Vershin, head of the Donetsk Regional Patrol Police, told The Post that the area around the facility was being bombed by Russian forces. “We are ready to leave the area of the Azovstale plant,” he said. “But this requires guarantees.”
In the Donbass area: Russian forces have been attacking Luhansk and Donetsk regions, where the governor of Luhansk said Saturday, adding that artillery fire had damaged dozens of homes in recent days. Local officials said earlier this week that many residents were without electricity or water due to damage to the infrastructure.
Troops have repelled more than a dozen attacks in Donetsk and Luhansk in the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said on Saturday. Earlier this week, it said Russian forces had seized some urban settlements as they tried to expand their hold in the two provinces that make up the eastern Donbass region.
Tim Bella and Andrew Jeong contributed to this report.
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