The European Union agrees to a ninth package of sanctions against Russia

Ukraine is exposed to intense Russian bombing and increasing power and water cuts

Civilians take shelter inside a metro station in anticipation of an air strike in central Kyiv.

A.F.B

Several Ukrainian cities were targeted, yesterday morning, with a barrage of Russian strikes, and explosions were heard in the center of Kyiv, and power and water cuts were reported in several areas, and while the Ukrainian army commander said that air defenses shot down 60 of the 76 missiles launched by Russia, the Czech presidency of the European Union announced, The bloc countries supported the ninth package of sanctions against Russia.

In detail, Ukrainian officials said that Russia launched a new barrage of missiles at Ukraine yesterday, and air defense systems operated throughout the country.

Explosions were heard in the eastern city of Kharkiv, and local officials said they targeted vital infrastructure.

Local officials in the Black Sea region of Odessa said infrastructure was also targeted there.

Reuters witnesses heard explosions in the capital, Kyiv, and it is not yet clear if the reason for this was the penetration of air defense missiles.

And the mayor of Kyiv, Vitaly Klitko, wrote via “Telegram”: “Do not leave the shelters.

The attack on the capital is still continuing.

And his counterparts in Kharkiv and Lotava announced that their cities were deprived of electricity due to the morning strikes.

Vitaly Kim, governor of the Mykolaiv region in southern Ukraine, said up to 60 Russian missiles were heading for Ukrainian airspace.

The local governor of Sumy region, in the north of the country, said that there were power outages there due to the missile attacks.

Yesterday, Kyiv witnessed a water outage after a new series of Russian strikes, according to what its mayor said, while the movement of subway trains stopped to use the stations as shelters.

"Due to the damage to energy facilities, there are interruptions in the water supply in all districts of the Ukrainian capital," the mayor said via Telegram.

The authorities of Kharkiv, the second largest Ukrainian city, as well as the city of Poltava, reported power outages.

Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekov said on Telegram: "There is no electricity in Kharkiv anymore."

The mayor of Poltava, Oleksandr Mamai, asked residents to "turn off all electrical appliances."

"The air strike is still going on," he added, urging civilians to "keep calm."

For his part, the mayor of Kremenchuk, Valery Maletsky, said on "Telegram": "Without electricity, the heating system no longer works."

Ukrainian Railways said that because of the strikes, "electric trains" operating in Kharkiv, Kivograd, Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions would run with "reserve locomotives".

Multiple raids also targeted the Zaporizhia region, according to its governor, Oleksandr Starukh.

Two people were killed and five others injured yesterday when a Russian missile hit a residential building in the city of Kryvyi Rig in southern Ukraine, according to the region's governor, Valentin Reznichenko.

Seven Ukrainian civilians were killed and eight others were wounded in the Donetsk region, as a result of an attack by the Russian army.

Energy Minister German Galushchenko wrote on Facebook on Friday morning: "A new, intense wave of Russian bombing targets energy infrastructure and facilities that were previously damaged in the east and south of the country."

Anti-aircraft sirens were heard throughout the Ukrainian territory, and the authorities called on the population to stay in shelters.

In Kyiv, Valery Zaluzhny, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said that his country shot down 60 out of 76 missiles that Russia fired at it yesterday.

General Zaluzhny wrote on Telegram: “According to preliminary data from the Caspian and Black Sea regions, Russia launched 76 missiles, including 72 cruise missiles (X-101, Caliber, X-22) and four guided air missiles (X-59) at Ukraine's critical infrastructure.

In a separate statement on Telegram, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region said that Ukrainian air defenses also shot down 10 missiles over the region.

Meanwhile, the Czech presidency of the European Union announced that the bloc countries supported the ninth package of sanctions against Russia, in response to the war it is waging in Ukraine.

The new sanctions will include punitive measures against Russian banks and additional trade restrictions.

The 27 European Union countries unanimously approved the sanctions during a meeting in the Belgian capital, Brussels.

The European Commission presented this new sanctions package on December 7, proposing to add about 200 individuals and entities to the EU blacklist, including the Russian Armed Forces and three Russian banks.

Brussels also recommended banning any new investment in the Russian mining sector, and tightening restrictions on trade in goods with dual use, civil and military, by targeting chemicals, nerve agents, electronic and informational components.

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