Russia's latest star Zagitova takes European gold

Alina Zagitova's nearly flawless free skate on Saturday not only won gold in her debut at the European Figure Skating Championships, but also snapped the two-year winning streak of training partner Evgenia Medvedeva.

Russia's Alina Zagitova shows her gold medal, center, as she poses with Russia's silver medallist Evgenia Medvedeva, left, and Italy's bronze medallist Carolina Kostner, right, after the ladies free skating event at the European figure skating championships in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

The 15-year-old Russian landed seven clear triples as well as two double axels, one of them dramatically late in the program, skating to lively music from the ballet "Don Quixote." The program scored 157.97 points, more than three points ahead of second-placed Medvedeva.

Gold medallist Alina Zagitova of Russia, right, is hugged by Italy's bronze medallist Carolina Kostner after the ladies free skating event at the European figure skating championships in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

Russia's Alina Zagitova shows her gold medal after winning the ladies free skating event at the European figure skating championships in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

Zagitova augmented several of her jumps by raising one of two hands above her head, her elbow-length crimson gloves drawing attention to the move.

"I'm happy I performed two clean skates. Of course I'm happy I became the European champion and I want to keep going," she said.

Russia's Alina Zagitova performs in the ladies free skating event at the European figure skating championships in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

Russia's Alina Zagitova performs to win the ladies free skating event at the European figure skating championships in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

Medvedeva, who had won gold in every appearance since late 2015, landed some of her jumps with less assurance than her compatriot, though her "Anna Karenina" theme outpointed Zagitova on program components.

Medvedeva missed the Grand Prix Final and the Russian nationals this season to recover from a foot stress fracture, and said "there were some moments during the skate when the two-month break had an impact."

"I woke up this morning with the thought that I'll just do everything that's in my power at the moment. I'll live in the moment," she said.

Russia's Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev perform in the pairs ice dance free dance event at the European figure skating championships in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

Russia's Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev perform in the pairs ice dance free dance event at the European figure skating championships in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

Carolina Kostner of Italy, the Sochi Olympics bronze medalist, struggled through an error-filled free skate that included falling on her opening triple lutz, but took bronze on the back of her strong short program.

The 30-year-old Italian veteran wore a pistachio-green catsuit that she said was inspired by the renowned Russian ballet dancer and choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky.

"It was not at all my best performance and it's a pity because my body's ready and the practices were easy-going and mostly flawless and then you get into the competition and it just slips away," she said.

France's Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron pose with their gold medals after winning the pairs ice dance free dance event at the European figure skating championships in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron won their fourth consecutive European figure skating championship, extending the two world records they already held.

The French duo's free dance to sections from Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" reflected the music's mood changes. They were fluid in the first movement and animated in the stormy third. Papadakis and Cizeron scored a record 121.817 points for the free dance and 203.16 total.

"I think we're very happy with our scores and we had a great feeling on the ice today," Cizeron said. "(We'll) just keep working as usual and really just keep working with our team."

"The Olympic Games will come up very soon now and we're really excited."

Silver and bronze went to Russian couples Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev and Alexandra Stepanova/Ivan Bukin, respectively, reversing their positions from the results after the short dance.

Russia's Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin perform in the pairs ice dance free dance event at the European figure skating championships in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

Russia's Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin embrace after performing in the pairs ice dance free dance event at the European figure skating championships in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

Bobrova and Soloviev's free skate was a touching tale of love sought, found and lost, ending with him trying to embrace her but missing as she stares in apparent dismay. The program featured a straight-line lift in which he kneeled on one leg and she balanced upside down on the outstretched thigh

"Yes, we achieved a personal best, but we still want the mark to be higher," Bobrova said. He added: "Now it is important that we relax a bit and then on January 27th we will fly to Japan and wait for our invitation" to the Pyeongchang Olympics, where Russians are to compete under a neutral flag.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The situation on the front line in eastern Ukraine is worsening but local defenders are so far holding firm against a concerted push by Russia’s bigger and better-equipped forces, a senior Ukrainian military official said Thursday.

Nazar Voloshyn, spokesperson for Ukrainian strategic command in the east of the country, said Russia has amassed troops in the Donetsk region in an effort to punch through the Ukrainian defensive line.

“The enemy is actively attacking along the entire front line, and in several directions they have achieved certain tactical advances,” he said on national television. “The situation is changing dynamically.”

Russia has pushed Ukraine onto the back foot on the battlefield as Kyiv grapples with shortages of troops and ammunition. Ukrainian forces are now racing to build more defensive fortifications at places along the around 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line.

Ukraine’s difficulties have been deepening for months as the military waited for vital new military aid from the United States. The support was held up in Washington for six months.

Ukrainian soldiers withdrew from Avdiivka, a city in the Donetsk region, in February under a withering Russian barrage that had sapped their fighting strength and morale. Since then, the Kremlin's forces have used their military might to take village after village in the area, bludgeoning them into submission, as they look to capture the parts of Donetsk they don't already occupy.

In France, President Emmanuel Macron reiterated in an interview published Thursday that he doesn’t exclude sending troops to Ukraine.

‘’I’m not ruling anything out, because we are facing someone who is not ruling anything out,’’ he told the Economist, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. ″If the Russians penetrate the front lines, if there is a Ukrainian request -- which is not the case today -- we should legitimately ask ourselves the question″ of sending troops, Macron was quoted as saying.

Macron drew criticism from Russia and Western allies when he first floated the possibility earlier this year. "If Russia wins in Ukraine we will no longer have security in Europe. Who can pretend that Russia would stop there?’’ he said in the interview.

Cities in Russia’s crosshairs, including recent target Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine, are pulverized by Moscow’s missiles, drones and glide bombs.

The Donetsk and Luhansk provinces together make up the Donbas, an expansive industrial region bordering Russia that President Vladimir Putin identified as a focus from the war’s outset and where Moscow-backed separatists have fought since 2014.

Also, Russia launched its third attack in a week on Odesa, firing ballistic missiles at the southern Ukrainian port city and injuring 14 people, local officials and emergency services said.

The attack hit a sorting depot belonging to Ukraine’s biggest private delivery company, Nova Poshta. No staff were injured, the company said, but the strike started a major fire.

On Monday, six people were killed in a Russian missile strike on Odesa, and two days later three people died there when the Kremlin’s forces targeted civilian infrastructure.

Long-range strikes have been a feature of Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II, which mostly has focused on attrition. Kyiv officials have pleaded for more air defense systems from Ukraine’s Western partners, but they have been slow in coming.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that Russia had launched more than 300 missiles of various types, almost 300 Shahed-drones, and more than 3,200 guided aerial bombs at Ukraine in April alone.

Odesa, a key export hub for millions of tons of Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea, has been repeatedly targeted by Russia. Thursday was the 10th anniversary of clashes in the city between pro- and anti-Russia demonstrators that left 48 people dead.

Ukraine has deployed increasingly sophisticated long-range drones to hit back, aiming at targets on Russian soil, especially infrastructure that sustains the Russian economy and war effort.

The governors of three Russian regions reported that energy facilities were damaged by Ukrainian drone strikes overnight. Oryol region Gov. Andrei Klychkov said energy infrastructure was hit in two communities. The Smolensk and Kursk governors reported one facility damaged in each region.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukrainian drones were shot down over the Bryansk, Krasnodar, Rostov and Belgorod regions. Most were intercepted in Bryansk, where five were brought down, it said.

In other developments, Zelenskyy confirmed that a peace summit for Ukraine will take place at the lakeside Bürgenstock resort near Lucerne, Switzerland on June 15 and 16.

Zelenskyy said he expected that heads of states and governments from all continents would attend the meeting “to discuss ways to achieving comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine in accordance with the U.N. Charter and international law.”

The Swiss Foreign Ministry said more than 160 delegations are expected, including international bodies, but Russia has not so far been invited.

Switzerland is open to inviting Russia, and is convinced that Russia must be involved, it said, but noted that the Kremlin has repeatedly said that it has no interest in participating.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency service personnel try to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)