Day 225 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Russian Missile strikes on Zaporizhzhia

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

Kyiv reported more successes in the counteroffensive against the Russian army

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law the annexation of Russian army-held territories in Ukraine, as the Ukrainian army reported success in its counteroffensive in those areas. The Ukrainian armed forces have liberated three more villages in the southern Kherson region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said:

"Only in the last 24 hours, the settlements of Novovoskresenskoe, Novogrigorivka, and Petropavlovka were liberated and stabilized by the fake referendum in Kherson region. The movement continues."

The Ukrainian army said it had recaptured territory in the eastern parts of Luhansk region and made progress in its counteroffensive in Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kherson, with Russian units pushed all the way south from the west bank of the Dnieper River.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed yesterday the federal constitutional laws on the annexation of the territories controlled by the Russian army in Ukraine. He ordered the Russian government to take control of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

Russia is pushing for a secret rather than open vote at the UN General Assembly, where a draft resolution against Russia's annexation of parts of Ukraine will be considered next week. The draft prepared by Western countries denounces Russia's "illegal referendums" and "attempted illegal annexation" of four Ukrainian regions.

Russian missile strikes on Zaporizhzhia

Russian forces fired missiles at the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia early this morning.

Local authorities reported seven...