Ukraine LIVE: Putin reeling after violent missile strike as Zelensky hits back

Ukraine’s armed forces faced 141 separate clashes with Russian troops in the past 24 hours as Moscow intensified its aerial assault, launching 56 air strikes and dropping 130 guided bombs, the General Staff said on Thursday.

The enemy also fired nearly 6,000 times, including 164 attacks using multiple rocket launchers, and deployed around 3,000 kamikaze drones. Air strikes targeted at least 18 settlements across five regions, from Sumy in the north to Zaporizhia in the south. Kyiv’s military responded with precision strikes on 14 concentrations of Russian troops and equipment, four command posts and an ammunition depot.

Heavy fighting continued in multiple directions, with the fiercest battles reported near Pokrovsk, where Ukrainian forces repelled 44 assaults. Ukrainian troops also held their lines in Kharkiv, Kupyansk, Liman, and Toretsk, successfully stopping dozens of enemy attacks in settlements including Vovchansk, Torske, Chasovy Yar and Vilny Pole.

Meanwhile, the General Staff confirmed that no significant enemy advances had taken place in the Dnieper, Volyn or Polissya sectors. The Defense Forces said their troops inflicted “significant losses” on the invaders and continue to disrupt Russian logistics and operations behind the front line.