Barrage Of Russian Strikes Across Ukraine

A fourth straight day of deadly Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian civilian and infrastructure targets continued Thursday, with more than 40 towns and cities reportedly hit.

According to Ukrainian military officials, a "kamikaze" drone crashed into Bucha, the town north of Kyiv that became infamous as the site of suspected war crimes against civilians.

Although there were no casualties on first inspection, the head of Kyiv region police Andrii Nebytov said the attacks targeted the region’s infrastructure.

This attack comes after at least seven people were reported killed and at least eight injured Wednesday in an attack on a market in the eastern town of Avdiivka. Pavlo Kyrylenko, Donetsk regional military head, said the strike in the Ukrainian-controlled town took place at a busy time.

Vitalii Kim, the head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, also announced on Telegram that the city of Mykolaiv was subjected to a mass Russian shelling on Wednesday night. "A five-story building was hit. An 11-year-old boy was found under the rubble. The child spent 6 hours under the rubble. He is currently receiving medical assistance. The search for 7 more people is ongoing," the message reads.

Volunteers from the Red Cross Society of Ukraine are working on the site, emergency medical teams, law enforcement officers and emergency teams are also responding.

NATO To Beef Up Ukraine’s Air Defense And Support

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged NATO Allies to provide air defense systems to Ukraine; he said it was now the "top priority" at the current NATO Defense meeting and the U.S.-led Contact Group for Ukraine in Brussels.

"The horrific indiscriminate attacks against Ukrainian cities […] demonstrate the urgent need for more air defense for Ukraine," said Stoltenberg.

He added that NATO should increase its support for Ukraine and provide it with different types of air defense systems, including some that can take down ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones both short- and long-range.

The U.S. is set to provide Ukraine with $4.5 billion in budget support in the coming weeks, Reuters reports, while separate reports over the past 24 hours confirm additional military backing from the UK, France, the Netherlands and Canada.

Ukraine Joining NATO Would Lead To World War III, Says Russian Official

Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Alexander Venediktov said that the admission of Ukraine into NATO would lead to World War III.

In an interview with Russian state media site TASS, he called Ukraine's application for an accelerated entry into NATO "rather a propaganda move […] Kyiv is well aware that such a step would mean a guaranteed escalation to a third world war," Venediktov said. “We are aware that, despite statements about not being involved in the events in Ukraine, the real actions taken by Westerners indicate that they are a direct party to the conflict."

NATO Scrambling Jets On Financial Times Front Page

Today’s edition of the Financial Times features fighter jets from the Polish Air Force taking part in a NATO exercise, as Alliance members pledge to help the country strengthen its air defense support.

Zelensky Compares Kharkiv To Bucha, Says Ukraine Needs $55 Billion To Rebuild

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the recently liberated region of Kharkiv region is “just as terrible” as the remains of Irpin and Bucha, two towns where mass graves were discovered after Russian troops were forced to retreat. Russia denies that its forces have committed war crimes.

Zelensky, speaking to finance ministers at the annual meeting of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in Washington on Wednesday, said Ukraine needs about $55 billion to rebuild critical infrastructure such as schools, housing and energy facilities destroyed in the war, urging international donors to increase their financial aid contributions.

UN General Assembly Overwhelmingly Condemns Russia’s Annexation

The United Nations General Assembly has voted in overwhelming majority to condemn Russia's plans to annex the four Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.

Although mostly symbolic, the resolution sees the highest number of countries voting against Russia since the beginning of its invasion of Ukraine: 143 countries voted to condemn the annexation, 35 abstained, while Belarus, North Korea, Syria and Nicaragua opposed the vote.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted that he was "grateful to 143 states that supported historic #UNGA resolution.”

Putin Offers Europe To Turn Gas Tap Back On

Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to resume gas supplies to Europe through parts of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that were not damaged by apparent sabotage in September. He also proposed an alternative supply route through Turkey. "The ball is in the EU's court. If they want to, then the taps can be turned on, and that's it," he said.

Since September 26, four leaks were discovered in the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, leaks that U.S. President Joe Biden called a "deliberate act of sabotage."

Germany responded by saying that it would not accept Russian gas via Nord Stream 2 pipeline, as the gas and its pipeline had become sources of controversy in the Ukraine crisis.

Amnesty Report Accuses Latvia Of Abusing Migrants On Border With Belarus

A new report by rights group Amnesty International details alleged abuses of power, ill-treatment and even torture from Latvian border authorities against migrants trying to cross from Belarus. The Baltic state had declared a state of emergency last year, suspending the right to seek asylum in four border areas.

“The Latvian authorities have left men, women and children to fend for themselves in freezing temperatures, often stranded in forests or held in tents,” said Eve Geddie, Amnesty's Director of the European Institutions Office.

Latvia’s government has denied the use of undue force.

Amnesty pointed out in its report that Latvia’s treatment of migrants coming from Belarus was very different from the “swift mobilization” the country deployed to welcome more than 35,000 Ukrainian refugees.