Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 339 of the invasion

Fresh Russian shelling has killed at least 10 Ukrainian civilians and wounded 20 others in a day, the Office of the President of Ukraine said. Regional officials said towns and villages to the east and south, within range of Russian artillery, suffered the most. Six people died in Donetsk region, two in Kherson and two in Kharkiv region, officials said.

A day earlier, missiles and self-propelled drones fired by Russia reportedly penetrated deeper into Ukrainian territory, killing at least 11 people.

Ukrainian troops were engaged in “fierce” fighting with Russian forces for control of the town of Vugledar, southwest of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, on Friday. Both sides have claimed success in the small administrative center near the strategically important village of Pavlivka, Agence France-Presse reported. “Soon Vugledar could become a new, very important success for us,” Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-appointed leader of the Donetsk region, was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies. But Kyiv said the city remained contested.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described the situation on the front lines as “extremely acute”, particularly in the eastern Donetsk region, where Russia is stepping up its offensive. The Ukrainian President reported major fighting around Vuhledar and Bakhmut in the northeast. Local Ukrainian officials reported heavy shelling in the north, northeast and east.

The Ukrainian army claims to have killed 109 Russian soldiers and wounded another 188 in one day in fighting around Vuhledar. Serhii Cherevatyi, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Eastern Task Force, said the death toll was recorded on Thursday, adding: “Fierce fighting continues. The enemy is trying to achieve an interim success there, but thanks to the efforts of our defenders, they are unsuccessful.”

Poland will send another 60 tanks to Ukraine in addition to the 14 German-made Leopard 2 tanks it has already pledged, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told CTV News.

A total of 321 heavy tanks have been promised to Ukraine by several countries, Ukraine’s ambassador to France said on Friday. Vadym Omelchenko told French TV channel BFM that “delivery terms differ from case to case and we need this help as soon as possible,” without specifying the number of tanks per country.

Belgium announced an additional €93.6m (US$104.7m / £84.5m) military aid package for Ukraine, which Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said – including previous spending – represents the was the largest of its kind that Belgium had ever given to any other country.

Ukraine says it is creating within its armed forces drone attack firms outfitted with Starlink satellite communications while pushing the idea of building an “army of drones,” Reuters reported. Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Saluzhnyi signed off on the creation of the units in a project that would involve multiple ministries and agencies, the General Staff said.

Ten regions of Ukraine are imposing emergency power cuts due to a power outage in the grid following Thursday’s Russian attacks, Ukraine’s state broadcaster reported. Repairs to damaged facilities continue.

The Kremlin claims Joe Biden held the key to ending the conflict in Ukraine by ordering Kyiv to settle, but was unwilling to use it. “The key to the Kiev regime is largely in the hands of Washington,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday. “Now we see that the current leader of the White House … does not want to use this key. On the contrary, he chooses the path of pumping more arms into Ukraine.” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Washington of engaging in a “hybrid war” against Moscow.

The European Union wants swift accountability for “horrible” crimes in Ukraine, EU justice ministers said at a meeting in Stockholm. But member states differ in how they prosecute, seek evidence, or fund war damage repairs. .

Hungary will veto European Union sanctions against Russia affecting nuclear energy, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told state radio on Friday.

Russia is violating “fundamental principles of child protection” in wartime by giving Ukrainian children Russian passports and putting them up for adoption, said UN refugee agency director Filippo Grandi.