UKRaine Says It Stopped RUssia’s Latest Missile and Drone Attacks on Kyiv; UKR says it downed 36 RU missiles and drones; Pro-Kyiv group reports second day of fighting in RU’s Belgorod; RU ships flee after strong blast in the occupied Sea of Azov port of Berdyansk, LIVE UPDATES and MORE

WSJ: Ukraine Says It Stopped Russia’s Latest Missile and Drone Attacks on Kyiv:

Russia continued its aerial campaign against the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, launching cruise missiles and drones against the city Thursday night, according to Ukraine’s armed forces.

The Ukrainian air force said its air defenses intercepted all 15 of the Russian cruise missiles and all 21 of the Iranian-made Shahed drones.

Kyiv has been under intensifying bombardment over the past month as Russia has shifted from its winter strategy of destroying Ukraine’s energy infrastructure to targeting the capital city with frequent strikes, usually at night.

Ukraine has said Russia is trying to wear down the morale of the civilian population and to deplete Ukraine’s air defenses ahead of its expected offensive aimed at taking back land occupied by Russia’s invasion forces.

“The likelihood of missile and airstrikes across Ukraine remains high,” the general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said early Friday.

The front line in eastern and southern Ukraine has been relatively stable since Russian forces, spearheaded by the Wagner paramilitary group, took the eastern city of Bakhmut in May after a draining monthslong battle.

Wagner has said the fight for Bakhmut cost the lives of 20,000 of its fighters. The paramilitary group’s founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has launched bitter tirades against top Russian military officials and the Kremlin. The open feuding has exposed cracks in Russia’s power structure.

Ukraine’s general staff reported Russian attempts to advance in the eastern Luhansk and Donetsk regions, which it said were unsuccessful, and said Russian forces were on the defensive on the southern front.

Many military analysts expect Ukraine to try to break through Russia’s defensive lines in the south to cut the land bridge connecting Russia and occupied eastern Ukraine with the Crimean Peninsula. Ukraine has loudly signaled that an offensive is coming, but has kept its timing and direction secret. —>READ MORE HERE

Ukraine says it downed 36 Russian missiles and drones:

Ukrainian forces in Kyiv said on Friday they shot down 36 Russian missiles and drones in and around the capital overnight, with two people injured by falling debris before authorities lifted air raid alerts across most of the country.

Russia has launched about 20 missile and drone attacks on Kyiv since the beginning of May, a surge in strikes that the government says appears aimed at derailing Ukraine’s preparations for a major counter-offensive.

An Air Force statement said its air defences had shot down 15 cruise missiles and 21 drones. It said a wave of drones had been launched late on Thursday, followed by a volley of cruise missiles as people slept at around 0300 local time.

“The occupiers are not stopping their attempts to terrorise the Ukrainian capital with strike drones and missiles,” it said.

The capital’s military authorities, writing on Telegram, praised the city’s air defences and said there were no reports of damage or casualties.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, who earlier reported two separate waves of attacks, wrote on Telegram that there had been no calls for rescue services.

In the region outside Kyiv, authorities said two people were injured as a result of falling debris, including a child. —>READ MORE HERE

Follow links below to +++++relevant+++++ and related stories:

+++++Russia-Ukraine News LATEST UPDATES: (REUTERS) (AP) (NY POST) and (WSJ)+++++

+++++Pro-Kyiv group reports second day of fighting in Russia’s Belgorod+++++

+++++Russian ships flee after strong blast in the occupied Sea of Azov port of Berdyansk+++++

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