Russia hits illegally annexed Ukraine areas from ground, air

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces have bombarded the regions of Ukraine it has illegally annexed but doesn’t fully control, resulting in casualties, building damage and power outages. The Ukrainian military says Russian forces launched 18 air strikes, five missile strikes and 53 attacks from multiple rocket launchers over the previous 24 hours. According to the General Staff statement, Russia is concentrating offensive operations in Ukraine’s industrial east, focusing on Bakhmut and other cities in Donetsk province. President Vladimir Putin has ordered his military to gain control of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – the four provinces Russia annexed last September.