Russia-Ukraine war live updates: Fighting continues in Donbas; Turkey casts shadow over NATO expansion

Ukrainian troops appear to have forced a Russian retreat in Kharkiv, but analysts warn that Moscow’s forces are regrouping and preparing for a siege in the east. Meanwhile, shelling across the country continues to claim lives and destroy infrastructure. On Friday, Ukraine’s defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, warned of a “new, long phase of the war.”

Here are updates from key battlegrounds:

Kharkiv: Ukrainian forces have mounted an effective counterattack in the area around this northeastern city, pushing Russian troops to withdraw, but shelling continues. In Derhachi, two people died and four were wounded after shelling damaged a humanitarian organization, a registry office, part of a clinic and an ambulance building, Kharkiv’s governor Oleg Synegubov said Friday on Telegram.

Luhansk: West of Severodonetsk, a Russian battalion crossing the Donets river was decimated after Ukrainian forces blew up the river’s pontoon bridges this week, the British defense ministry confirmed Friday. It is not clear how many Russian soldiers died.

Donetsk: Russian strikes killed one civilian and injured a dozen others, the region’s governor, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said Friday. In the center of Donetsk, a stronghold for Russian occupying forces, invading forces have shelled the Avdiivka Coke and Chemical Plant, the largest coke producer in Ukraine.

Mariupol: In the Russian-held port city, occupying forces continue bombing the Azovstal steel plant, where the last holdouts from the Ukraine army have sheltered. Ukrainian officials say they are negotiating with the Russians to release more than three dozen wounded fighters.