Russia launches new large-scale missile offensive in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region

AIR raid sirens went off across all Ukrainian regions early Friday as Kremlin forces launched the latest large-scale missile attack.

Among the targets were “crucial infrastructure” in the Kharkiv region in the northeast. Widespread power outages were reported there and in Poltava. Explosions were also heard in at least three districts of Kyiv. A residential building was hit in Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine, the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, with casualties likely, officials said.

The strikes come a day after a top Ukrainian army commander warned there’s “no doubt” Russian forces will attempt to seize Kyiv as soon as January after failing in the spring, potentially from a staging ground in Belarus. Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Minsk on Monday for talks with his Belarusian counterpart.

The US on Thursday sanctioned

Vladimir Potanin, Russia’s richest tycoon but left his company, mining giant MMC Norilsk Nickel PJSC, untouched as it tries to maintain stability in the metals market. The Pentagon confirmed plans to expand its training in Germany for Ukrainian forces.

Friday’s missile barrage appears to be the ninth by Russia since early October focused on Ukraine’s infrastructure. Russian forces continued offensive operations near Bakhmut and Avdiyivka in the east, Ukraine’s General Staff said in its latest update.

Russian troops shelled the Nikopol district in the central Dnipropetrovsk region overnight and parts of the Mykolaiv region in the morning, local authorities said.

The city of Kherson was hit by artillery fire, with Russian shells hitting residential areas and killing a woman and a child and injuring two people, according to the local military administration.