Ukraine said on Wednesday it had destroyed Russian pontoon bridges with US-made weapons to defend its incursion into Russia's Kursk region as Moscow claimed its forces had halted Kyiv's advance in the region and gained ground in eastern Ukraine. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded.
Summary:
- Russian air defences shot down 10 Ukrainian drones over Moscow during one of the largest drone attacks ever on the Russian capital, the city's mayor said.
- There will be no talks between Moscow and Kyiv until Ukraine is completely defeated following its incursion into Russia's Kursk region, according to Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia's security council.
- Russia's army said its forces had captured another village in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, where it is advancing even as Kyiv mounts a major counterattack into Russian territory.
- Ukraine's parliament voted to join the International Criminal Court, which prosecutes serious crimes including genocide and crimes against humanity.
- Ukraine's offensive in the Kursk region was planned with the help of intelligence from the US, Britain and Poland, the Russian newspaper Izvestia reported, citing the country's foreign intelligence agency. The White House has previously said it had no advance notice that Ukraine planned the incursion into Russian territory.
Yesterday's key developments:
- Ukraine’s parliament voted to ban the Russia-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church, a move Kyiv says strengthens its independence as the country cuts ties with institutions it considers aligned with Moscow.
- More than 122,000 people have left Russia’s Kursk region, where evacuations have been ordered since Ukraine mounted a major incursion two weeks ago, state-run media quoted the emergencies ministry as saying.
- Russian authorities were struggling to put out a massive fire in the southern Rostov region for a third consecutive day after an oil depot was hit by Ukrainian drones.
- Ukraine's air defences shot down three missiles and 25 drones fired by Russia in an overnight attack on Tuesday, the Ukrainian air force said.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP & Reuters)
