Ukrainian news outlets say Russian troops are closing in on Pokrovsk, an eastern city that is considered a key logistical hub for the Ukrainian military.

The Kyiv Post and Kyiv Independent newspapers reported Friday that Russian troops control areas 5 kilometers or less from Pokrovsk, a city of about 60,000 in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.

On the positive side for Ukraine, the Independent, citing the DeepState monitoring group that tracks the Russia-Ukraine war, reports that Ukrainian forces have resisted Russian assaults on several other Donetsk locales in recent days.

Earlier Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had launched one of the largest assaults to date on his nation’s energy infrastructure, sending 93 missiles and nearly 200 attack drones against the nation.

In a report from his X social media account, Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s air defenses managed to shoot down 81 of the missiles, including 11 cruise missiles shot down by Ukraine’s F-16 fighter aircraft. The Ukrainian president said there was at least one North Korean missile used in the attack.

In his comments, Zelenskyy lashed out at Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying of the attack, “This is Putin’s ‘peaceful’ plan — to destroy everything. This is how he wants ‘negotiations’ — terrorizing millions of people.” Zelenskyy also called for a strong reaction from world leaders: “a massive strike — a massive reaction. This is the only way to stop terror,” he said.

Zelensky said if world leaders hesitate to react, “Putin takes it as permission to continue. Patriots are needed to shoot down these missiles and prove that terror will not achieve its goal.” He also called for stronger sanctions against Russia to hamper missile production.

The Ukrainian president said he discussed the attack later Friday in a telephone call with Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

He said Stubb expressed his readiness to help enhance Ukraine’s air defenses as well as Finland’s strong support for “Ukraine’s sovereign right to choose its own future without external interference, including our choice to join the EU and NATO.”

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
…