47 out of 59 Russian missiles, some of which were launched from Tu-95 strategic bombers in the Russian Arctic, according to the Ukrainian military, were shot down.
It further claimed that of the 37 airstrikes carried out by Russia, 17 of them made use of Shahed-136 drones built in Iran, all of which were shot down.
Strong explosions were recorded nearby the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, and the International Atomic Energy Agency once again called for a security perimeter around it.
After Germany this week permitted foreign nations to re-export the German-built tank, Canada said it will deploy four Leopard 2 combat tanks to Ukraine.
The Kremlin said that the Western pledges to send tanks are proof of the West's growing "direct engagement" in the 11-month-old conflict.
According to his Norwegian lawyer, a former leader of Russia's Wagner mercenary force who escaped to Norway described seeing several of his compatriots being shot as they attempted to leave from the front lines in Ukraine.
According to the head of the UN refugee agency, Ukraine and other European states should get ready for a potential new surge of displaced persons.
Diplomacy
Vladyslav Heraskevych, a Ukrainian skeleton competitor, criticised the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for thinking about allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in international events in Asia.
The historic centre of Odesa, a port city on the Black Sea in Ukraine, has been added to the list of World Heritage Sites by the United Nations Cultural Organization in recognition of "the outstanding universal value of the site and the duty of all humanity to protect it" as the city is in danger of being destroyed.
If Russian and Belarusian athletes are permitted to compete, Ukraine has vowed to boycott the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, a possibility that has been dubbed "unacceptable" by the nation's sports minister. The IOC had previously stated that "more exploration" should be done to find a mechanism to allow competitors from those nations to compete.
Sanctions
The Wagner Group was subject to tougher sanctions from the US after it was identified as a transnational criminal organisation that routinely violates human rights.
Following Russia's most recent wave of missile assaults in Ukraine, Japan increased sanctions on it by freezing the assets of Russian officials and organisations and adding a number of items to a list of those whose export is prohibited.
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