Russia downs US-made Ukrainian missiles, Ukraine reports repelled attacks

Russia on Wednesday said its armed forces intercepted U.S.-made missiles fired by the Ukrainian military at civilian facilities in the western Russian city of Voronezh on Tuesday, while Ukraine claimed to have repelled dozens of Russian attacks.

At 14:31 Moscow time (1131 GMT) on Tuesday, Kiev launched an attack on civilian targets in Voronezh, a city in Russia's territorial depth, using four U.S.-manufactured Army Tactical Missile System tactical missiles, the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

It added that Russian air defense units shot down all the Ukrainian projectiles using S-400 and Pantsir air defense systems, with no civilian casualties reported.

In response to Ukraine's attacks on Russian civilian facilities, Russia used long-range high-precision weapons, including hypersonic "Kinzhal" missiles, and combat drones on Wednesday morning to conduct mass strikes on Ukraine's military-industrial complex and transport infrastructure used by Ukrainian troops, as well as warehouses for long-range drones, said the ministry.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram that the attack started on late Tuesday, and involved 470 combat drones and 48 cruise and ballistic missiles, targeting 10 regions across Ukraine.

At least 25 people were killed and nearly 100 injured in the massive attack in the western Ternopil region, where strikes hit nine-storey apartment buildings, igniting fires and causing extensive damage, Zelensky said.

Ukraine's Energy Ministry announced emergency power outages in several regions following the attacks.

The general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported Wednesday in a statement that there were 160 clashes in frontline areas over the past day. In the directions of Kupiansk and Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian troops repelled dozens of attacks from Russian forces.

Commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrsky said in a social media post on Wednesday that Ukrainian troops continued to conduct combat missions in the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad urban clusters. He said Russian forces maintain high levels of activity, but the Ukrainian military has successfully contained the enemy's offensive through precise coordination and close cooperation.

Russia downs US-made Ukrainian missiles, Ukraine reports repelled attacks

The Republic of Korea (ROK)'s former impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday was sentenced to five years in prison on arrest obstruction charges.

The criminal division of the Seoul Central District Court in charge of Yoon's obstruction of justice case handed down the prison sentence to Yoon for abusing the presidential security service to hinder the anti-corruption agency from executing its arrest warrant in January 2025.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) was once thwarted in its attempt to arrest Yoon as the presidential security service formed human shields and bus blockades to prevent investigators from entering the presidential residence.

The team of Cho Eun-suk, an independent counsel who led investigations into Yoon's insurrection and other charges, demanded a 10-year prison term for Yoon.

The court said Yoon privatized the presidential security service for personal safety and private interests by blocking the law enforcement agencies' lawful execution of an arrest warrant and attempting to destroy evidence, pointing out that despite the very bad nature of his crime, he consistently offered unconvincing excuses and showed no remorse.

The court stressed that severe punishment was necessary, considering the need to restore the rule of law damaged by Yoon's crime, but it noted that the fact that he was a first-time offender with no criminal record was considered a favorable factor.

The sentencing, which was broadcast live, was Yoon's first verdict coming from his botched martial law bid.

The first-instance sentencing for Yoon's insurrection charges was scheduled for Feb 19. The special counsel sought a death penalty for Yoon on the charges.

Yoon declared emergency martial law on the night of Dec 3 in 2024, but it was revoked hours later by the National Assembly.

The constitutional court upheld a motion to impeach Yoon in April 2025, officially removing him from office.

The ousted leader was indicted while in detention in January 2025 on charges of leading an insurrection, becoming the first sitting ROK president facing such prosecution.

ROK ex-president Yoon sentenced to 5 years in prison on arrest obstruction charges