The authorities in Kyiv said that Russian missiles today targeted 40 Ukrainian cities, while the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that its forces thwarted an attack by Ukrainian forces in Kherson.

An official in the Ukrainian presidential office said that drones bombed - on Thursday morning - vital infrastructure facilities in the Kyiv region, as part of the intensive bombing campaign launched by Russia last Monday, in response to the bombing of the Crimean bridge.

Ukrainian forces announced that they repelled attempts to advance by Russian forces in the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, while forces loyal to Moscow announced their control of two towns on the outskirts of the city, but the Ukrainian General Staff confirmed the repulsion of Russian attacks in the region.

The separatist forces in the Donetsk region said - in a post on the Telegram application - that the Russian forces had taken control of the villages of Obetny and Ivangrad, located directly in the south of Bakhmut, the town that the Russians have been trying to seize since last August, and the only sector of the front in which Moscow forces are currently making progress. .

Ukrainian soldiers, who had gathered not far from this part of the front, reported that Russian artillery had an advantage there.


Kherson front

For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry announced - today, Thursday - that attacks in Kherson Province had been repelled, while Reuters reported that the pro-Russian governor of Kherson Province had requested the help of Russian forces to evacuate residents amid the continuing battles.

The ministry also announced the thwarting of attacks by the Ukrainian forces on several axes and the downing of 3 Ukrainian fighters, two of them in the Dnipropetrovsk Province, and the third in the Poltava Province.

The ministry said that Russian forces had thwarted Ukrainian attacks on the axes of Kobyansk, Krasnyi Lyman, Mykolaiv and Kryvyi Ri.

Ukrainian missiles

For its part, the local authorities in Belgorod, Russia, reported that a Ukrainian missile hit a residential building in the large city located in a border area with Ukraine, without causing any casualties, while the missile strikes on Russian territory have doubled in recent weeks.

The regional governor said - via the Telegram application - that "Ukrainian army forces fired missiles at Belgorod," adding that the anti-aircraft systems were activated.

Meanwhile, Ukraine announced - today, Thursday - the stability of its electrical network after the intense Russian bombing, which hit the energy infrastructure.

The Ukrainian operating company "Ukrinergo" said today that it has succeeded in achieving "the stability of energy supplies in all regions of Ukraine", and does not need to rationalize electricity consumption.


prisoner exchange

Ukraine and Russia announced a new prisoner exchange, including 20 people from each party, two days after another operation of this kind between Kyiv and Moscow.

"A new exchange of prisoners, and new moments of joy," Andrei Yermak, director of the Ukrainian presidential office, said - via Telegram. "We succeeded in releasing 20 people."

Among these 20 fighters, "14 soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, 4 members of the territorial defense, one member of the National Guard and one member of the Ukrainian Navy."

For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that "20 Russian soldiers have returned from the Ukrainian territory controlled by Kyiv," according to Russian agencies.

The ministry stated that "all liberated soldiers receive the necessary psychological and medical assistance."

And the Ukrainian presidency announced - last Tuesday - that it had received 32 Ukrainian soldiers as part of a prisoner exchange with Russia, and the body of an Israeli who fought alongside the Ukrainian forces.


Errors in mobilization and recruitment

Today, Thursday, the Russian authorities reported the death of 5 Russians after they joined the Russian army and were sent to fight in Ukraine as part of the partial mobilization ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin last September, and did not specify the causes of the deaths or their location.

The Kremlin acknowledged that there were mistakes in the mobilization framework, as people with diseases or others who were over the legal age were recruited to serve in the army.

Since the partial mobilization was announced in Russia on September 21, the Russian press and Russian officials have reported several times about deaths among mobilization soldiers, especially in the Urals and Siberia.

Last week, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu indicated that Russia had recruited more than 200,000 people in two weeks to fight in Ukraine.