Russia Ukraine War

Kherson Oblast Military head Yaroslav Yanushevych on Telegram posted that Russia shelled Kherson Oblast 45 times and fired artillery, MLRS, tanks and mortars, Ukrainska Pravda reported. The Russian shells hit the maternity ward of a hospital, an infrastructure facility, a cafe as well as private and apartment buildings.

In his nightly video address to the nation, President Volodymyr Zelensky late Monday said that four people were killed and technicians have been working to stabilise the energy system. According to the President, Russia launched at least 70 missiles earlier on Monday and "most of them were shot down", Ukrayinska Pravda reported.

French President Emmanuel Macron has underscored his outrage over Moscow's "attoricties" in its war against Ukraine, while the US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that he is open for dialogue with Putin to end the war in Ukraine. The war has disrupted essential supplies from Russia and Ukraine to the rest of the world besides restricting crude oil supplies resulting in soaring oil prices breaching the $100 dollar.

Speaking to Ukrainian media on Thursday, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, said: "We have official evaluations by the General Staff, official evaluations by the commander-in-chief (Zelensky), and they range from 10,000 to 12,500-13,000 killed," the BBC reported. He said that the number of civilians killed could also be "significant"

Volodymyr Zelensky made the remarks in his nightly address to the nation on Wednesday evening. "Energy workers and utility workers, all our services are doing everything to stabilise the system and give people more energy for longer... It is very important that people understand when and for what period of time they will be left without electricity," the President said.

"By the end of this year, Russia will lose 100,000 of its soldiers and God only knows how many mercenaries," Ukrayinska Pravda quoted the President as saying in his nightly video address to the nation on Wednesday. Zelensky also said that situation at the front remains difficult. "Despite extremely big Russian losses, the occupiers are still trying to advance in the Donetsk region, gain a foothold in the Luhansk region, move in the Kharkiv region, they are planning something in the south," he said.

Speaking to the BBC on Sunday, Kostin said that besides the attacks on the energy grid, 11,000 Ukrainian children had been forcibly deported to Russia. The top official added his office was investigating reports of more than 49,000 war crimes and crimes of aggression since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24.

In his nightly video address to the nation on Sunday, he said: "We understand that terrorists are preparing new strikes and as long as they have missiles, they won't stop. "The upcoming week can be as hard as the one that passes. Our Defence Forces are preparing. The whole state is preparing. We work out all scenarios, including with partners."

Pyotr Tolstoy, the deputy speaker of the Duma, warned that there would be no let-up in the Russian strikes on Ukrainian power stations ahead of winter, Daily Mail reported. "The infrastructure of Ukraine will be destroyed, and Ukraine will be sent back to the 18th century," the member of Putin's United Russia party declared, Daily Mail reported.

Among those released were two officers, as well as 48 sergeants and soldiers, Yermak wrote on Telegram on Thursday. Most of the released soldiers served in Ukraine's Naval Forces, the National Guard and the Armed Forces, he added. Yermak did not provide the details on the number of Russian troops released by Ukraine under the deal, Xinhua news agency reported.