Intense Russian shelling carried out through the night accross Eastern and Southern Ukraine, as the town of Izioum near the frontline prepares for the winter.
ADVERTISEMENTOn day 618 of the war in Ukraine, the number of civilian deaths reported by the United Nations reached more than 9,900. That figure doesn't include the hundreds of thousands of deaths among Ukrainian and Russian troops.
Early on Friday morning, air raid sirens sounded in several Ukrainian regions early on Friday, from Kharkiv in the East to Lviv in the West. General Russian shelling continues to strike the Eastern and Southern parts of the country.
The Russian Ministry of Defence says it's using Su-25 assault aircraft to launch missile air strikes on military facilities and Ukrainian troops in the Eastern region of Donetsk.
In Kharkiv, local authorities reported at least 10 drones; one of them exploding in a local car repairs shop. The building was not inhabited, but, according to local media, there was a shelter nearby for people who had escaped from Russian-occupied territories. No injuries were reported.
The Regional Governor of Kherson, Oleksandr Prokudin, described on telegram a "Hell’s night in Stanislav." He said there were more than 40 hits on the village and two people were killed, including an elderly woman.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russian troops suffered heavy losses during their assault, near the town of Vuhledar in eastern Ukraine.
The battle for Avdiivka a town in the Donetsk region has been going on for weeks; but Ukrainian forces and Western analysts say that Russia loses a lot of soldiers and vehicles there without any significant success, effectively turning Avdiivvka into a "second Bakhmut".
Now Ukrainians are preparing for the coming winter. There are concerns that Russia will target Ukrainian infrastructure as it did last winter.
The previously occupied town of Izioum in the Kharkiv region had 170 stoves delivered by representatives of the Norwegian Refugee Council in preparation for the winter. Izioum is just 50km from the front line and was recently shelled. In the event of damage to the gas network, these stoves will be a lifesaver for the coming winter.