Pro-Ukrainian fighters want to expand their attacks. Russia is reportedly doubling its production of artillery ammunition. More information in the news blog.
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Luftwaffe reports new wave of attacks
5.50 a.m.: The Ukrainian Air Force warned of Russian air strikes early Friday morning. Several rockets were heading towards Dnipro, it was said on Telegram. Damaged houses were reported in Zaporizhia. An air alert was sounded for the entire Ukraine. Yesterday several rockets were fired at the capital Kiev.
Attacks on Kiev are said to have been carried out by secret service
5.30 a.m.: Almost all of the missiles fired by Russia at Kiev on Thursday were said to have been aimed at the Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. This is reported by the “Kyiv Post”, citing HUR employees. Asked whether Russia managed to hit its target, the source replied: “Absolutely not.” In the early hours of Thursday morning, a massive rocket attack was carried out on Kiev. The air defense forces said they fired around three dozen missiles, including ballistic ones, over the city. The rubble fell in various parts of Kiev. 13 people were injured in the attack.
Attacks on Kharkiv – power outages
4:34 a.m.: According to the mayor of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, there were about 15 explosions early Friday morning due to Russian missile attacks. According to Ihor Terekhov, the attacks were designed to destroy the city’s electricity supply. As the mayor reports, they have sometimes led to power outages throughout the city.
IMF releases another $880 million
2:33 a.m.: The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday (local time) approved a third review of Ukraine’s $15.6 billion loan program, allowing the release of an $880 million loan. As the IMF announced, a total of $5.4 billion can be paid out to Ukraine. Ukraine will receive the funds in the coming days, the head of the IMF’s Ukraine mission, Gavin Gray, told reporters. According to Gray, Ukraine performed well overall in the first year of the IMF program, meeting all but one of the quantitative performance criteria. As Gray further explained, the IMF assumes that the war in Ukraine will end by the end of 2024.
Estonia wants to give Russian assets to Ukraine
2.10 a.m.: In the discussion about the use of frozen Russian assets, Estonia wants to provide not only interest income, but the entire assets to finance Ukraine’s defense. “The proceeds are only a small but important step for us. But we also want to use the frozen assets ourselves,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told the newspapers of the Germany editorial network (RND, Friday editions).
Inspector General: Urgently need missile defense
1.20 a.m.: Bundeswehr Inspector General Carsten Breuer is calling for a rapid development of missile defense against possible threats from Russia. “We have five to eight years. During this period we have to build up a missile defense. There is no alternative,” Breuer told the newspapers of the Funke media group (Friday). “We see Russia capable of waging war against NATO states within a period of five to eight years. By then, we in Germany must also be able to repel such an attack,” emphasized Breuer. Its solution is necessary within the NATO alliance.