Russia continues to carry out attacks in several areas of Ukraine. Ukraine's emergency services said the death toll from a nighttime strike in Moscow's Odessa region rose to 20. At least 16 people were killed in an apartment building and four others, including a child, were killed in another strike at the recreation center.
One of the buildings hit in the Odessa attack was a rehabilitation center for Moldovan children with health problems, the Republic of Moldova's health minister said. One employee was killed and five injured in the strike. The center, which has been closed to patients since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, is believed to have no children at the time of the attack, the official said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that Russia is carrying out terrorism against Ukrainian cities and people. "This was a targeted Russian missile attack, a Russian terror attack on our cities, our communities, our people — adults and children," Zelensky said.
Ukraine hopes the strike in the Odessa region will subside after Russia withdraws its troops from the Snake Island in the Black Sea, Ukrainian State Border Guard spokesman Andrei Demchenko said on Friday.
Here are other major headlines to know:
- NATO: After Finland was officially invited to join NATO this week, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Havestow spoke to CNN about a new world order in which Finland cannot remain neutral as neighboring Russia becomes a security threat . He told CNN that "of course" war in Europe outside Ukraine is possible.
- U.S. support: The U.S. is supplying more ammunition for the Advanced High Mobility Rocket Launcher System (HIMARS) missile system as part of its latest $820 million aid package for Ukraine, the Pentagon said on Friday. So far, the United States has committed to deploying eight HIMARS systems. At least four HIMARS have already fought against Russia. The Biden administration has been criticized for not shipping enough ammunition for HIMARS.
- Aid from Norway: The country has pledged 1 billion euros to support Ukraine's "brave people", Prime Minister Jonas Gal Stoll said on a visit to Kyiv on Friday. According to Gahr Støre, the funds will be used to provide humanitarian aid and support Ukraine's defense and reconstruction efforts.
- Hacked Energy: Russian hackers carried out a "cyber attack" on Ukraine's largest private energy group in retaliation for its owner's opposition to Russia's war in Ukraine, the company said on Friday. DTEK Group, which owns coal and thermal power plants in different parts of Ukraine, said the hacking attack was aimed at "destabilizing technical processes" and "putting power to Ukrainian consumers".
- Brittney Griner's case: The prosecutor in the trial of WNBA player Brittney Griner announced the charges against her during a hearing in a court near Moscow, Russian state news agency TASS reported. Griner is accused of smuggling less than a gram of cannabis oil in her luggage — a substance that is classified as a narcotic drug, according to TASS. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that officials from the US embassy in Russia "attended Brittney Griner’s trial today in Moscow."
The following are areas of Ukraine under Russian control:
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