Russia's Ministry of Defense said Tuesday that its forces struck 154 Ukrainian targets in the past 24 hours, while Ukraine's military reported 151 combat engagements along the front line during the same period.
In its daily briefing, the Russian defense ministry said its forces took control of the settlement of Novoplatonovka in the Kharkiv region in the past 24 hours.
The ministry said the strikes hit 154 targets, including facilities used to transport Western-supplied weapons, ammunition and fuel depots, as well as temporary deployment sites of Ukrainian forces and foreign mercenaries.
The ministry also said its forces destroyed Ukrainian armored vehicles, various types of artillery, military vehicles and drones.
On the same day, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a battlefield update that its air force, missile forces and artillery struck Russian troop concentrations, command posts and artillery systems.
Ukrainian forces said they repelled Russian attacks in the Pokrovsk, Kupyansk and Lyman directions, destroying Russian tanks, armored vehicles, artillery and tactical-level drones.
Russia, Ukraine report heavy fighting along front lines
Impact of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran is pushing Gulf countries to revisit costly plans for pipelines to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, so that they can continue to export oil and gas, the Financial Times newspaper reported on Thursday.
"Officials and industry executives say new pipelines may be the only way to reduce Gulf countries' enduring vulnerability to disruption in the strait, even though such projects would be expensive, politically complex and take years to complete," said the report.
"Previous plans for pipelines across the region have repeatedly stalled, undone by high costs and complexity," it said.
The Strait of Hormuz is a vital global energy corridor bordered by Iran to the north.
Around a fifth of global liquefied natural gas supply passed through the Strait of Hormuz, which also carries about one quarter of global seaborne oil trade.
Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities on Feb. 28, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes against Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East, while tightening control over the Strait of Hormuz by restricting passage to vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States.
Gulf countries consider new pipelines to avoid Strait of Hormuz: Financial Times
