A new barrage of missile strikes was reported across Ukraine on Friday morning, damaging energy infrastructure in several regions and killing at least two people.
Local officials reported shelling in Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv, as well as in the northeastern city of Kharkiv and the central city of Kryvyi Rih, and urged residents to take cover. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said Russia launched 76 air- and sea-based cruise missiles at its neighbor, of which 60 were destroyed.
Two people were killed and at least five more were injured in a strike on a residential building in Kryvyi Rih, according to The Washington Post.
Ukraine’s energy minister, German Galushchenko, said that nine generation facilities were damaged in the eastern and southern portions of the country as Russia continued to target the country’s energy infrastructure. The entire city of Kharkiv has lost power in the strikes, according to its regional governor.
The renewed shelling came just hours after the Pentagon officially announced that it would provide Ukrainian soldiers with arms and joint maneuver training, beginning in January. The Pentagon said it expects to train about 500 soldiers a month.
Russia also warned the U.S. against sending the Patriot air defense system to Ukraine on Thursday, amid reports that such an announcement could occur next week.
“If this is confirmed, we will witness yet another provocative step by the administration, which can lead to unpredictable consequences,” the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., said in a statement.