Air defence appears to have prevented Russian strikes on Kyiv on Friday morning, with falling debris striking the city but no casualties reported, writes The Guardian.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko posted to Telegram to state: “In addition to the debris of the rocket that fell on the territory of one of the capital’s children’s hospitals, two more crash sites were found in the Obolon district of Kyiv. The roof of a private house was damaged on Bogatyrska Street. Also in Obolon, a wreck was discovered in an open area in one of the summer cooperatives. There are no casualties”.

Two people - a woman and a 44-year-old man - were injured when artillery fire hit the city of Kherson. Another man was injured in the region in a drone strike on Beryslav.

Ukrainian forces have recaptured the heights over Bakhmut and are successfully encircling Russian troops in the city, the deputy defence minister in Kyiv has said. In an interview with the Guardian, Hanna Maliar said Russian soldiers could no longer move around Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region and progress was being made in outflanking enemy forces after months of deadly battles.

A Russian missile struck a hotel in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia on Thursday evening, leaving one dead and 16 injured, Ukrainian officials said.

Zaporizhzhia governor Yuriy Malashko said the 16 injured included 4 children. UN staff used the hotel when they worked in the town, said Denise Brown, the humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine.

The White House is asking Congress for an additional USD 24bn in Ukraine aid, senior administration officials revealed on Thursday. The US has so far given Ukraine more than USD 113bn in aid since Russia invaded in February 2021, making it Ukraine’s biggest funder in its defense against Russia.