Ukrainian officials said that Russian forces have intensively bombed Kherson province in southern Ukraine in recent hours, and have brought more soldiers to the city of Melitopol. Meanwhile, Moscow said it has made significant progress towards "disarming" Kyiv.
And the Public Prosecutor in Ukraine announced, today, Friday, that two people were killed as a result of Russian bombing with missile launchers in Kherson.
For his part, Kherson Governor Yaroslav Yanushevich said that Russian forces bombed the province 61 times within 24 hours, half of which hit the city of Kherson, the center of the province.
Meanwhile, the exiled mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, said that the Russian army has brought more troops to the city it controls in southern Ukraine and is strengthening its fortifications there.
Fedorov pointed out that a car bomb exploded in the city earlier in the day.
In field developments as well, the Ukrainian General Staff said early on Friday that its forces had repelled attacks on no less than 17 residential communities in the east of the country.
It added that the Russian forces launched 12 missiles and air strikes, some of them on civilian targets, she said.
The dangers of a US-Russian clash
Meanwhile, Russia warned of the increasing risks of a clash with the United States after Washington decided to provide Ukraine with the Patriot missile system.
Today, Friday, the Russian ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, likened the situation of relations between the two countries to being in an "ice age", and said that the chances of a clash are high, according to what was reported by the official Russian news agency TASS.
Antonov said it is difficult to say when the talks can resume in the context of a strategic dialogue between the two sides, but he noted that the talks on the exchange of prisoners "effective" and will continue.
For its part, the Kremlin said today that "significant progress" had been made toward disarming Ukraine, one of the goals declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin when he launched the assault on Kyiv 10 months ago.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reviewed Russia's military progress when asked during a press conference about Putin's statements, who said yesterday that Ukraine's defense capabilities are close to zero.
"It can be said that there has been significant progress towards disarmament," Peskov said.
American aid to Kiev
On the other hand, members of the US Congress are expected to approve today, Friday, a $45 billion aid package for Ukraine, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky returned to his country after visiting Washington, which promised him a Patriot missile system to enhance military capabilities.
This package, which includes military and economic aid, comes on the heels of nearly $50 billion in US aid that Ukraine received over the current year.
Regarding the expected impact of the Patriot system, Reuters quoted US officials as saying that the single Patriot battery that President Joe Biden told his Ukrainian counterpart that he would send to Kyiv would not change the course of the war.
The agency noted that Washington and its allies are reluctant so far to supply Kyiv with modern tanks and long-range missiles that can cross the front line and hit targets within Russia itself.