Russia-Ukraine war – live: Moscow claims it is in direct confrontation with NATO after four people die in attacks in Kharkiv

Rescue workers leave damaged building in Kharkiv after Russia shoots down two drones in the country

According to the Kremlin spokesman, relations between Russia and NATO have fallen to the level of direct confrontation.

Dmitry Peskov said the US-led military bloc is already involved in the conflict in Ukraine and is expanding further to Russia's borders.

Meanwhile, at least four people were killed when Russia launched a deadly drone strike in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, officials said.

According to Governor Oleh Synehubov, Russia shot down 15 drones across the region, but the most damage occurred in the region's namesake city. Images showed a large hole in the side of a 14-story building in the city.

At least three of those killed were Ukrainian state rescue workers who rushed to the scene of the first attack on the high-rise building only to fall victim to a second attack. At least a dozen people were injured.

Due to recent attacks on network infrastructure and higher electricity consumption, power supply restrictions have been introduced in six regions of Ukraine.

The true toll of the war in Ukraine is measured in corpses. This man is bringing them home, one by one

The smell in the car is sickly sweet, the overwhelming smell of bodies left too long in the dirt and rubble, the kind that dogs haven't eaten. Oleksii Yukov, a 38-year-old martial arts instructor who leads a team of volunteer body collectors in Ukraine, doesn't notice.

He is currently on the phone with one of the mothers. She has heard that her son has been injured in battle and left behind, but she doesn't know where.

"He was left to die and now they tell me he died a hero," she says, choking back tears.

Oleksii Yukov says the same thing to all mothers: We will bring your dead children home

'Pure barbarism': Rescuers killed in Russian drone attack in Kharkiv

The resistance of Kharkiv's vastly outnumbered defenders has angered Vladimir Putin, as Askold Krushelnycky reveals at the scene of a savage attack on brave Ukrainian rescue workers.

The resistance of Kharkiv's most outnumbered defenders has angered Vladimir Putin, as Askold Krushelnycky reveals at the scene of a savage attack on brave Ukrainian rescue workers.

Ukraine says it shot down 13 Russian-launched drones overnight

The Ukrainian Air Force shot down all 13 drones used in Russia's night attack on southern regions, according to the Ukrainian military on Friday.

The Shahed drones were destroyed over the Zaporizhzhia, Odessa and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Russia also used two S-300/S-400 surface-to-air missiles and three Iskander-M ballistic missiles in the attack.

One of the attacks targeted energy infrastructure in the Odessa region, but air defenses repelled all four drones, the southern group of Ukraine's armed forces said on the Telegram messaging app. The debris damaged several private homes and agricultural buildings in Zaporizhzhia, the statement said.

Local authorities also reported explosions late Thursday in the eastern city of Kharkiv, which is a regular target of Russian attacks. The region’s governor, Oleh Syniehubov, said the attack damaged four cars and a five-story building, with no casualties reported as of Friday morning. In recent weeks, Russia has carried out increased attacks on Ukraine’s grid infrastructure in an attempt to disrupt the country’s electricity and power grid.

Russia calls Swedish plans for NATO base in Baltics a provocation – RIA

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday described Swedish plans to establish a NATO military base on the Baltic Sea island of Gotland as a provocation that would turn the sea into a zone of geopolitical confrontation, the RIA news agency reported.

According to the ministry, this would increase risks for shipping in the Baltic Sea.

Russian Governor of Rostov-on-Don Region: Air Defense Destroys More Than 40 Targets from the Air

The governor of Russia's Rostov-on-Don region said early Friday that air defenses had destroyed more than 40 targets from the air, although one power plant was damaged.

Vasily Golubev wrote on the Telegram messaging app that the drone strikes were concentrated in the Morozovsk district, northeast of Rostov-on-Don on Ukraine's eastern border. Golubev said work was underway to restore power to the affected areas.

The target of the attack may have been a military airport in Morozovsk in the Rostov region, where Su-24, Su-24M and Su-34 bombers are stationed.

Ukraine has been carrying out drone attacks on several Russian regions on its borders for months.

Russia says it shot down 53 Ukrainian drones overnight, RIA reports

Russian air defenses shot down 53 Ukrainian drones overnight, most of them over the Rostov region, the RIA news agency reported on Friday, citing the Russian Defense Ministry.

A drone was shot down in the Saratov region, where there is an air base for Russian strategic bombers. Drones were also shot down over the Kursk, Belgorod and Krasnodar regions, the ministry said.

NATO members decide to request additional air defense systems for Kiev

NATO alliance members agreed on Thursday to clean up their arsenals for more air defense systems to protect Ukraine from Russian missile attacks, as the alliance celebrates its 75th anniversary, scarred by war on its borders.

The war anniversary was overshadowed. “Allies understand the urgency,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said after Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met with his counterparts and requested additional new air defense systems, particularly Patriot missiles from the United States.

"Allies will now review their inventories and consider whether there are opportunities to provide more systems, particularly Patriots, but of course also ensure that the systems already deployed have the necessary ammunition and spare parts," Stoltenberg said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: "From what I heard today, I believe that everyone, including the United States, will double and, if necessary, further increase the resources that Ukraine continues to need."

No official mentioned specific commitments or aid goals.

Earlier, when a ceremony with birthday cakes and marching bands failed to mask the somber mood in Brussels, Kuleba said: “I didn’t want to spoil the birthday celebration for NATO, but I felt compelled to send a very sober message on behalf of Ukrainians about the situation of Russian airstrikes in my country.”

Russia describes Swedish plans for a NATO base in the Baltics as a provocation

The Russian Foreign Ministry has described Sweden's plans to set up a NATO military base on the Baltic Sea island of Gotland as a provocation that would turn the sea into a zone of geopolitical confrontation, Russian state agency RIA News reported.

The ministry said the move would increase risks to maritime transport in the Baltic Sea.

Russian forces enter Ukraine's outskirts

Russian forces have entered a suburb of the town of Khasiv Yar in Ukraine's Donetsk region, an adviser to the Russian-appointed regional chief said.

Chasiv Yar, located about 10 km (6 mi) west of Bakhmut, served as an important staging area for Ukrainian troops in the region.

Ukrainian authorities have not commented on Russian claims of incursions into the city of Donetsk.

The Russian advance was confirmed by the US-based Institute for the Study of War, which cited geographic imagery and said Ukrainian forces had halted their advance, and by the Russian state news agency RIA.

Russian forces carried out a reinforced company-sized mechanized attack on Chasiv Yar (west of Bakhmut) on April 4, advancing to the eastern edge of the settlement.

Geolocated footage released on April 4 shows Russian forces conducting a reinforced company-sized mechanized attack against Chasiv Yar.

Footage shows the Russian mechanized column advancing along a section of the T-0506 highway (Khromove-Chasiv Yar) on the eastern edge of the Kanal microdistrict (the easternmost part of Chasiv Yar) before Ukrainian forces prevented further advances by Russian forces towards it. Chasiv Yar blocked.

"A Ukrainian soldier stated that Ukrainian forces destroyed 11 of the 25 Russian armored vehicles involved in the mechanized attack, although Ukrainian officials have not yet provided further details about the attack," the statement said./independent.co.uk/