Russian missiles hit cities across Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, the Black Sea port of Odessa and the second city of Kharkiv, early Thursday as Ukrainian defenders repelled a fierce assault on the besieged city of Bakhmut. Ukraine’s military announced Wednesday night that its forces had successfully repelled intense Russian attacks on the eastern mining town of Bakhmut, despite Russia claiming control of its eastern half.

The latest on the war in Ukraine, day 379, LIVETEXT:

07:52 There have been several explosions in Kyiv, this time in Svyatoshynsky district, in the west of the city, Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko reported on his Telegram channel, writes The Kyiv Independent.

Klitschko also announced that two people were injured as a result of the attack and are being treated at the scene of the attack. He also reported that after the attack, cars were set on fire in the yard of the residential building.

07:48The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, occupied by the Russians since March, lost its connection to the external power supply due to a Russian missile attack on Ukraine on Thursday morning, the operator of Ukrainian nuclear power plants, Energoatom, reported, Reuters reports.

07:38Fox News has edited statements by former President Donald Trump in which he said he would consider giving Russia part of Ukraine as part of a peace agreement between the countries, Insider writes.

07:30Russia fired missiles at targets across Ukraine on Thursday, from Kharkiv in the north to Odesa in the south and Zhytomyr in the west, the BBC and Al Jazeera reported. Explosions also rang out in Kyiv.

00:35In Ukraine, a network of illegal casinos linked to Russia was discovered, which financed Moscow in exchange for services

In the territories occupied by Putin in Ukraine, a whole network of underground casinos was discovered, which were managed by a gang that was engaged in secret business, reports Il Messaggero.

00:07 Zelensky: The future of the UN is being decided in Ukraine

After a meeting with UN Secretary General António Guterres on Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that the future of the UN is now being decided in Ukraine, as Kyiv “defends the goals and principles of the UN Charter.”

11:40 in the eveningZelensky thanked the Georgian protesters for waving the Ukrainian flag during the protests in Tbilisi

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Georgian protesters for waving his country’s flag during demonstrations on Tuesday and Wednesday, CNN reports.

A brief summary of recent events:

• The Ukrainian army admitted that Russian troops continue to advance to the city of Bakhmut, the General Staff of Ukraine said in an evening briefing on Wednesday, CNN reports.
• US intelligence chief: Russia may go on the defensive due to lack of resources. Russia may shift to a strategy of holding and defending existing positions because it lacks the ammunition and troops to make significant territorial gains in Ukraine in 2023, said Avril Haynes, director of the US National Intelligence Service, the New York Times reported.
• The Ukrainians managed to hit a thermobaric missile launcher with a small kamikaze drone.
• Several of Ukraine’s top athletes have paid tribute to a Ukrainian soldier believed to have been executed by Russian forces, repeating the Ukrainian battle cry “Glory to Heroes” (Glory to Heroes) — the soldier’s last words, CNN reports.
• Director of National Intelligence Avril Haynes told the US Congress that the war in Ukraine has become “a war of attrition in which neither side has a definitive military advantage”, but said that Russian President Vladimir Putin could prolong the war, possibly for years, because it the best way to protect your strategic interests, reports CNN.
• The President of Poland calls for Ukrainian pilots to be trained to fly F-16 fighter jets
• Ukraine’s GDP shrank by 26% in February after falling by 32% in January, Economy Minister Yulia Svyridenko said on Wednesday.
• The leader of the Wagner paramilitary group Yevgeny Prigozhin on Wednesday considered European sanctions against him for his involvement in fighting in Ukraine “reasonable”, while European justice lifted sanctions against his mother, AFP reported.
• South Korea, a country that officially says it does not help Ukraine militarily, has tacitly approved the transfer to Kiev of weapons containing components made in the Asian country, Reuters reported, citing an official in Seoul and one in Poland.

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Wednesday’s events were broadcast live on HotNews.ro