Russia says it struck Ukraine's military-linked energy infrastructure, downed 224 drones

Russian forces have struck energy infrastructure supporting Ukrainian military operations and Ukrainian military deployment areas over the past 24 hours, Russia's Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

In a statement, the ministry said that operational-tactical aircraft, combat unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of Russian force groupings hit 142 targets, including energy facilities used by the Ukrainian military, ammunition depots and temporary deployment areas of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries.

The ministry added that air defense systems shot down nine guided aerial bombs, four rockets fired by the U.S.-made HIMARS multiple rocket launch system and 224 fixed-wing drones.

In the southern region of Odesa, a 17-year-old man was killed when a drone struck an apartment building, the regional governor said.

Eleven people were also wounded in the central city of Kryvyi Rih when a ballistic missile slammed into a residential building, Ukrainian officials said.

In the capital Kyiv, nearly 3,000 high-rises across the city remained without heating on Thursday after Russia's latest strikes earlier this week.

(With input from Xinhua, Reuters)