Russia said on Friday that its forces had made advances in the Krasnyi Lyman direction in the Donetsk region, while Ukraine said on the same day that its forces had attacked multiple energy and logistics facilities inside Russia and in Russia-controlled territories.
Russia's Defense Ministry said in its latest report that over the past week, its forces conducted one concentrated strike and six group strikes against Ukraine's military-industrial enterprises, fuel and energy infrastructure, as well as military positions.
The Russian troops took control of seven more settlements, and in the Krasnyi Lyman direction, they continued demining operations and search-and-clearance missions to eliminate remaining Ukrainian personnel, while pushing westward, the ministry said.
It also said the Russian air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 144 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones over several regions and the Black Sea on Friday.
Meanwhile, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said the Ukrainian forces carried out strikes early Friday against multiple targets inside Russia and in Russian-controlled areas.
According to the Ukrainian side, the targets included an oil refinery, an oil terminal, fuel storage facilities, a gas condensate processing enterprise, as well as 18 vessels, including oil tankers.
Russian forces advance in Krasnyi Lyman direction, Ukraine strikes Russian energy infrastructure
The 2026 Qixi Festival Gala, produced by China Media Group (CMG), got underway at 20:00 Beijing Time on Wednesday, marking the annual celebration of one of China's oldest and most cherished traditional festivals.
The Qixi Festival, also referred to as the Chinese Valentine's Day, falls on the seventh day of the seventh month on the Chinese lunar calendar. It dates back more than 2,000 years and was inscribed on China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006.
The festival's enduring romantic association stems from the legends of the cowherd Niulang and the weaver girl Zhinyu, star-crossed lovers separated by the Milky Way who are permitted to meet only once a year when a flock of magpies forms a bridge across the heavens.
In ancient China, young women celebrate the festival by praying to Zhinyu for clever hands and domestic talents. Today, couples usually spend the day by exchanging gifts and many partners choose this auspicious date to register their marriages or hold collective traditional weddings.
This year's gala centered on the motif of a bridge, linking ancient myth with contemporary life.
A travelogue performance themed around the mythological bridge ran through the entire event, which featured songs, dances, traditional operas and ballet.
A highlight of the gala was a micro-film which explores shared Qixi customs between people from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.
Among the evening's touching highlights was a short film featuring the enduring romance of 88-year-old Chinese radar technology expert Ben De, recipient of China's 2026 State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, and his wife. The award is the nation's highest honor for scientific and technological achievement.
This year's gala centered on co-creation, featuring segments with real couples from across the country to jointly celebrate the millennia-old traditions through contemporary expressions of love.
CMG airs special TV gala to celebrate China's 2,000-year-old love festival
