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11:26am: Russian strikes cause ‘colossal’ infrastructure damage in Ukraine’s Kharkiv

Russian missile strikes caused “colossal” damage to infrastructure in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Friday and mainly affected the energy system, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said.

“There is colossal damage to infrastructure, primarily the energy system,” he said in a post on the Telegram messaging app. “I ask you to be patient with what is happening now. I know that in your houses there is no light, no heating, no water supply.”

11:16am: Putin to meet Lukashenko in Belarus on Monday

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Belarus on Monday for talks with his counterpart and ally Alexander Lukashenko, the Kremlin said. 

Moscow announced the pair will discuss Russian-Belarusian integration “as well as current topics on the international and regional agenda”. 

The visit comes 10 months into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which was launched from several directions, including Belarusian territory. 

Minsk had announced the visit earlier on Friday and the presidential office said the leaders will hold one-on-one talks as well as wider negotiations with their ministers on “Belarusian-Russian integration”.

10:33am: Deadly Russian shelling cuts off Kherson power

Russian forces bombarded Kherson on Thursday, killing two people and depriving the Ukrainian city of electricity.

Despite Russia’s retreat from the southern port city in November, Kherson remains within reach of Moscow’s weaponry and under constant threat.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces had attacked Kherson 16 times on Thursday alone.

The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed that a Ukrainian Red Cross worker had been killed by the strikes and urged that humanitarian “personnel and property” be spared.

While winter temperatures plunge below freezing, the heavy shelling has left Kherson “completely without power”, according to regional Governor Yaroslav Yanushevych.

10:00am: Russian strikes kill two in Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih

 A Russian rocket hit a residential building Friday in the southern Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, killing two people and injuring five, the region’s governor said.

“Two people have died,” Governor Valentyn Reznichenko said, adding that “at least five people were injured, including two children. All are in hospital.”

9:54am: ‘Explosions’ in Kyiv, strikes in other Ukraine regions

Ukrainian authorities reported explosions in at least three cities Friday, saying Russia has launched a major missile attack on energy facilities and infrastructure.

Local authorities on social media reported explosions in the capital, Kyiv, northeastern Kharkiv and southern Kryvyi Rih as air raid alarms sounded across the country, warning of a new barrage of the strikes that have occurred intermittently since mid-October.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported explosions in at least four districts, urging residents to go to shelters.

“The attack on the capital continues,” he wrote on Telegram. Subway services in the capital were suspended, he said, as city residents flocked inside its tunnels deep underground to seek shelter.

Kharkiv is without electricity, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram. Kharkiv regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported three strikes on the city’s critical infrastructure.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, a top official in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, reported a strike on a residential building in Kryvyi Rih, warning on Telegram: “There may be people under the rubble.” Emergency services were on site, he said.

7:44am: Air raid sirens sound across Ukraine and in capital Kyiv

Air raid sirens wailed across Ukraine, including in the capital Kyiv on Friday, signalling another Russian missile attack, the country’s officials said.

“Do not ignore air raid alerts, remain in shelters,” Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the president’s office said on the Telegram messaging app.

As many as 60 Russian missiles have been spotted heading to Ukrainian air space, said Vitaly Kim, the governor of the Mykolaiv region in southern Ukraine.

“A part of them is already over northern Ukraine,” he wrote on Telegram.

7:32am: EU to confirm new sanctions on Russia

European Union leaders wrapped up their last summit of 2022 with an agreement to provide €18 billion in new financing to Ukraine next year and to slap more sanctions on Russia, including blacklisting nearly 200 people and barring investment in Russia’s mining industry.

Few details of the deal, which requires unanimity across the bloc, were immediately available. 

The European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, last week proposed travel bans and asset freezes on almost 200 more Russian officials and military officers as part of the new round of measures. The targets of the recommended sanctions included government ministers, lawmakers, regional governors and political parties.

The Commission also wanted to hit the Russian defence industry and more Russian banks, and to impose export controls and restrictions on products like chemicals, nerve agents, electronics and IT components that could be used by the armed forces.

It was unclear whether the proposals had significantly changed during final negotiations among member countries.

EU leaders will formally confirm the new round of sanctions on Friday.

12:14am: World Bank launches $2 billion package to support Ukraine’s private sector

The World Bank on Thursday announced a $2 billion package to support Ukraine’s private sector, in a bid to help pave the way for reconstruction amid the devastation resulting from Russia’s invasion.

The latest package by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the bank’s development arm focused on private-sector development in emerging markets, adds to its ongoing support of Ukraine.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)

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