Air raid alert placed over Ukrainian territory

An air raid alert is in place over three-quarters of Ukraine's territory. Ukrainians were warned to take cover in the air raid shelters and to listen to the signals. There are power outages in many parts of the country. 25 drones launched from the Russian shore of the Azov Sea have been downed during the night. 15 of the Iranian-made drones have been downed over Kyiv. Three missiles have been shot down over Mikolayv. Russia's strategic aviation has been firing from the region of the Caspian Sea. Russian ships carrying Kalibr missiles in the Black Sea are also ready to launch attacks, said Nataliya Gumenyuk, a Russian official, who said Russian ships carrying Kalibr missiles in the Black Sea are in readiness to launch attacks.

A spokeswoman for Operational Command South of Ukraine. Two Turkish ships have been struck by missiles in the port of Kherson missiles, sparking a fire. The Reuters reports that they have been blocked there since the beginning of the war.

Russia is increasing pressure in the battle for Bakhmut and Ugledar in the Donetsk region, Ukraine s Deputy Minister of Defence Hanna Malyar said. Ukraine has admitted it has withdrawn troops from Soledar to positions behind the town. According to Ukraine, Soledar can no longer be defended because it has been completely destroyed by Russian artillery that has superior fire power.

According to an Institute for the Study of War report, Russian forces may be engaged in limited spoiling attacks across most of the frontline in Ukraine in order to disperse and distract Ukrainian forces and set conditions to launch a decisive offensive operation in the Luhansk region.

Spain is ready to send Leopards, offer training in the use of Leopards or help with their maintenance and upkeep, Spain s Defence Minister Margarita Robles said. She did not say how many tanks could be sent, but she stated that this would take place after coordination with the other NATO partners.

Frank St. John, Chief Operating Officer of Lockheed Martin, stated that the company was ready to transfer their old Soviet aircraft to the European countries in exchange for sending their old Soviet aircraft to Ukraine.