China still considering giving lethal aid to Russia, White House says
Russian forces have continued their efforts to encircle the eastern city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region Friday, the Ukrainian military's General Staff said in an evening update.
"Numerous attacks have been repelled by our defenders, in particular near Vasiukivka, Dubovo-Vasylivka and Bakhmut," the military said.
The first two communities referenced in the report are small villages located just north of the city.
Elsewhere in Ukraine: Russian forces have also launched artillery fire near Lyman, which is north of Bakhmut, and on additional towns in the Donetsk region, the military said. Further attacks were reported near the city of Kupyansk in Kharkiv region, and Kreminna and Bilohorivka in the Luhansk region.
In the southern Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, the General Staff said Russia "is on the defensive, attempting to improve their tactical position to resume the offensive." Moscow shelled 15 settlements with artillery, the Ukrainian military added.
"There are dead and wounded civilians," it said, without elaborating on the specific numbers.
Over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian forces have also carried out strikes on enemy personnel and military equipment, the General Staff said.
"Our defenders shot down an enemy Su-34 aircraft and a ZALA UAV," it said, repeating an earlier claim from the Ukrainian Air Force about downing a Russian fighter jet and drone.
CNN is not able to independently verify this claim. Russian state media has reported that a plane has been downed in the area indicated by the Ukrainian Air Force, but does not specify the plane's model and ownership.
