Russian forces struck critical infrastructure in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, and launched multiple strikes on energy infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia early Friday as Moscow stepped up its attacks in Ukraine's south and east and air raid sirens went off across much of the country. The strikes happened just one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited several European countries, lobbying for long-range weapons. Kyiv said it's already submitted a request for F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands. Ukraine's military chief also confirmed two Russian cruise missiles flew over Moldova's airspace before entering Ukraine. The missiles were fired from the Black Sea, said Valery Zaluzhny. Moldovan authorities corroborated the Ukrainian statement, but reports that Romania's airspace was also breached were not confirmed by Bucharest. The Moldovan Foreign Ministry has summoned the Russian ambassador to protest "against the unacceptable violation of our airspace by a Russian missile," according to a statement. Several explosions were also heard in Kyiv as officials reported high-voltage facilities across Ukraine being hit by Russian air strikes. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia fired "six Kalibr cruise missiles", "up to 35 S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles at the Kharkiv and Zaporizhia regions", and used "seven Shahed drones". "Five Kalibr cruise missiles and five Shahed drones were destroyed" by the anti-aircraft defense, the air force said. No casualties have been reported at this stage by Ukrainian authorities. Ukraine's power grid operator Ukrenergo said that several facilities in eastern, southern and western Ukraine had been hit, causing disruption to power supply. Zaporizhzhia City Council Secretary Anatolii Kurtiev said the city had been hit 17 times in one hour, which he said made it the most intense period of attacks since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. In Kharkiv, authorities were still trying to establish information on victims and scale of the destruction, with Mayor Ihor Terekhov saying there may be disruptions to heating and the electricity and water supply. Military analysts say Russian President Vladimir Putin is hoping that Europe's support for Ukraine will wane, as Russia is believed to be preparing a new offensive. Fighting in Ukraine intensified Thursday. Kyiv's military intelligence agency said Russian forces have launched an offensive in the partially occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions, with the aim to grab full control of the entire industrial region, known as the Donbas. Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces there since 2014. — Euronews
