Ukraine claims it shot down a Russian strategic bomber as Moscow's missiles kill 8 Ukrainians

Ukraine said on Friday it shot down a Russian strategic bomber, while Moscow officials claimed the plane crashed due to a malfunction; neither claim could be verified.

Meanwhile, Russian missiles struck cities in the central Dnipro region of Ukraine, killing eight people, including a 14-year-old girl and 8-year-old boy, and injuring 28, local officials said.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy repeated Kyiv officials’ almost daily appeals for more Western air defense systems, again drawing a parallel with how Israel blunted a recent Iranian attack.