Key points
- Russia takes control of village in Kharkiv - defence ministry
- Ukraine's divisive draft law comes into force | At least 30 Ukrainians have died crossing river to avoid
- Putin concludes trip to China with veiled reference to West
- Two civilians killed while evacuating city
- Analysis: Great power politics on display in China visit
- Live reporting byJess Sharpand (earlier)Josephine Franks
Ukrainian sergeant stabbed by civilian
A Ukrainian sergeant has been stabbed in the hand by a civilian, the country's ground forces has said.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the army said the attacker was detained and has been charged with attempted murder and obstructing the armed forces.
The attack took place in the city of Sinelnikove, in the central Dnipro region, earlier today.
"A civilian committed an armed assault with cold weapons (knife) on the sergeant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," the statement said.
The sergeant, who worked for the territorial recruitment and social support centre, has been provided with "all the necessary medical care", it added.
Latest pictures from Kharkiv
In Ukraine's second largest city, airstrikes have become a daily occurrence as intense battles continue.
Russian troops have been pushing ahead with a ground offensive that opened a new front in northeastern Kharkiv region in recent days, putting further pressure on Kyiv's overstretched military.
After weeks of probing, Moscow launched the new push knowing that Ukraine suffered personnel shortages, and that its forces have been spread thin in the northeast.
Two people were killed after Russian airstrikes hit Kharkiv on Friday as Ukrainian troops fought to halt Russian advances in the region.
The airstrikes targeted Ukraine's second-largest city during the daytime, injuring 25 people and killing two, according to Kharkiv's mayor Ihor Terkhov.
On Thursday, the air alarm sounded for more than 16 hours, a record since the beginning of the military campaign by Russia.
Here are some of the latest pictures from the city:
Ukrainian strikes disrupted 14% of Russia's oil refining capacity - Pentagon
Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian power facilities in early 2024 disrupted 14% of Russia's oil refining capacity, according to the US Department of Defence.
The strikes pushed up domestic oil prices by 20-30% and forced Russia to halt exports to focus on meeting domestic demand, a report from the Pentagon’s intelligence agency said.
But it caused only a "negligible disruption" to the electricity supply for Russian civilians and the military, because of Russia's "robust generation capacity" and the level of power in the grid.
Ukraine gives update on 'tense' frontline situation
The General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces have published their daily operational update...
Speaking about the frontline, it says the situation "remains tense" and Russia is using its advantage in the number of personnel to launch attacks on Ukrainian positions.
In the last 24 hours, 66 "combat clashes" have taken place, it adds.
Russian troops have been pushing ahead with a ground offensive in recent days that opened a new front in northeastern Ukraine's Kharkiv region and put further pressure on Kyiv's overstretched military.
The update says Russian forces have attacked in the areas of Lyptsi in Kharkiv today, and fighting is continuing in the town of Vovchansk.
"Currently, the number of combat encounters in this direction has reached 10, while the Russian occupiers tried to improve the tactical position eight times, our units in turn - twice," it says.
Earlier today, Russia's defence ministry claimed its forces had captured the village of Starytsia in Ukraine's Kharkiv region.
Russian troops are continuing to advance in the area, it added.
Ukraine did not mention the village in its operational update.
Two civilians killed while evacuating Vovchansk
Two people were killed when their car was hit by Russian forces as they evacuated Vovchansk, according to Ukrainian officials.
The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office said an investigation has been launched into what it called the "war crime".
It said the car carrying civilians came under enemy fire while driving through the border town on Thursday.
The 70-year-old driver and an 83-year-old female passenger died at the scene, while two other passengers were injured, officials said.
Ukrainian authorities have evacuated around 8,000 civilians from Vovchansk, three miles from the Russian border.
Russian forces 'capture 40 civilians' from Ukrainian town
Russian forces have captured 40 civilians from a town in Kharkiv, a Ukrainian official has said.
Speaking to Ukrainian news outlet Suspilne, the head of the investigative department of the Kharkiv regional police Serhii Bolvinov said they were taken while trying to escape a Russian shelling attack.
"People are kept in basem*nts, interrogated, and those conducting the interrogations call themselves FSB employees," he said.
It comes after Ukraine's interior minister Ihor Klymenko said Russian forces were taking civilians captive on Thursday.
He also claimed the Russian military had carried out executions.
"In the northern part of Vovchansk, where active hostilities are taking place, the Russian military is taking civilians captive," he said on Telegram.
"It is known about the first executions of civilians by the Russian military. In particular, one of the inhabitants of Vovchansk tried to escape on foot, refused to obey the commands of the invaders - the Russians killed him."
Vovchansk, in the northern Kharkiv region, has come under several attacks in recent weeks, with Russian forces claiming to control surrounding villages and forcing civilians to evacuate.
'Time is not on our side': Ukrainian commanders speak from the frontline
Ukrainian forces on the frontline say the war is entering a critical phase - and they are desperate for more ammunition as they struggle to hold off relentless Russian attacks.
Colonel Pavlo Palisa, whose 93rd Mechanised Brigade is fighting near the key strategic city of Chasiv Yar, said he believed Russia was preparing a major push to break Ukrainian lines in the east.
"Without a doubt, this will be a difficult period for the armed forces," he said.
"I would say that it is unlikely that time is on our side, since a long war requires more resources," he said, adding that it would be critical to impose as heavy a cost on Russia as quickly as possible.
"The enemy's resources, whether in terms of manpower or the material, cannot be compared with ours. It's extraordinarily large."
Ukrainian gun commander Oleksandr Kozachenko said his unit's US-supplied M777 howitzer, which once hurled 100 shells a day at the enemy, is now often reduced to fewer than 10.
"It's a luxury if we can fire 30 shells."
Gunners with his brigade in the Donetsk region said they were desperate for more 155mm rounds for their Western cannons, which had given them an edge over Russia earlier in the war.
The United States says it's rushing ammunition and weapons to Ukraine following the delayed approval of a $61bn aid package by Congress last month.
For the soldiers facing down an encroaching enemy, the deliveries can't come soon enough.
Poland to spend £2bn on making border 'impossible' for potential enemies to pass
Poland is aiming to bolsterits defences against what it says is a rising threat from Russiaand Belarus with a £2bn security programme.
Poland will invest 10 billionzlotys - around £2bn - in making the eastern border "impossible to pass for a potential enemy",PrimeMinister Donald Tusk told a news conference.
"We are starting a major project to build a secure border,including a system of fortifications as well as landscaping andenvironmental decisions," he said.
Poland's border with Belarus has been a flashpoint sincemigrants started flocking there in 2021, after Minsk, a closeRussian ally, opened travel agencies in the Middle East offeringa new unofficial route into Europe - a move the European Unionsaid was designed to create a crisis.
The previous Polish government built a fence on thePolish-Belarusian border that was over 180km long and 5.5m high, to protect against illegal migration. It iscomplemented by a system of cameras and sensors monitoring thefrontier.
Two children among five injured in strike on Kharkiv - reports
A 13-year-old and 16-year-old were among five people injured when Russian forces struck a residential area in Kharkiv, according to Ukrainian officials.
Kharkiv mayor Ihor Tereknov said on Telegram that several residential houses were destroyed, and at least five people were injured.
The regions's governor Oleh Syniehubov said they were injured by shrapnel, and the injuries suffered by the children were minor.
Who's to blame for battlefield setbacks? Ukrainian minister says 'everyone who is not doing enough'
Asked whether the US aid delays were to blame for Ukraine's setbacks on the battlefield, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said the fault lies with "everyone who is not doing enough".
He described the situation on the frontline as "tough", saying "Russia is strong, we are suffering from... insufficient supplies of military assistance," CNN reported.
"We are forced to compensate with heroism and sacrifice of our soldiers," he added.
He was speaking via video conference at the Lennart Meri Conference in Estonia and praised the country for allocating 1% of GDP to military aid for Ukraine.
If every country followed suit, Ukraine would be able to perform better, he said.
"Estonia is a country that proves to the whole world that a small country with a big heart can make a big difference and it's a paradigm for everyone to follow," he said.
