The Russian army controls 20% of Ukrainian territory (Reuters)
Today, Thursday, Russia announced new territorial gains in eastern Ukraine, while the Kiev authorities accused it of using North Korean missiles in attacks on civilian targets.
Russia said that its forces took control of Pobeda, a small village located 5 kilometers west of the city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.
A statement by the Russian Ministry of Defense said, "On the Donetsk front, units of the Southern Group liberated the village of Pobeda and improved their positions along the front line."
For its part, on Thursday, Ukrainian intelligence services accused Russia of using North Korean missiles in several attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine that left more than 20 people dead.
Ukrainian intelligence said, "According to the investigation, Russian forces fired more than 20 North Korean weapons over Ukraine. At least 24 civilians were killed and more than 100 were seriously injured."
It indicated that the weapons mentioned were "Hwasong-11 ballistic missiles" and posted pictures of the missile debris on Telegram.
The same source pointed out that the missiles were used in an attack in late January on the southern Zaporozhye region and in another attack on the capital, Kiev, this month.
Ukrainian intelligence noted that Russia also fired these missiles in the Donetsk and Kharkiv border regions.
Washington had previously warned that North Korea was sending ballistic missiles and launchers to Russia, considering this a worrying escalation in Pyongyang's support for Moscow.
In a joint statement issued last January, about 50 countries - including the United States, European countries, South Korea and Japan - denounced the supposed supply process.
Thousands of missiles and marches
On the other hand, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuri Ihnat said on Thursday that Russia has launched more than 8,000 missiles and 4,630 drones at targets in Ukraine since the start of the war in February 2022.
He said in statements broadcast on television that Ukrainian air defenses shot down 3,605 drones, which gave an idea of the scale of the massive Russian attack on Ukraine in two years.
Ihnat added that there are small mobile teams charged with the task of confronting drones and are now capable of shooting down all drones launched by Russia, including Iranian-made Shahed drones.
He continued that in the latest attack that took place last night, 8 out of 10 drones launched by Russia were shot down over 4 Ukrainian regions.
After two years of war, Moscow now controls nearly a fifth of Ukrainian territory, including the Crimean Peninsula, which it annexed in 2014, although the front lines have not witnessed a significant change during the past 14 months.
Ukraine received support from its Western allies in the form of advanced air defense systems, including units of the American Patriot system.
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly stressed that they need more weapons from abroad to support them in the war.
Source: Agencies