Russia claimed on Saturday that its troops had struck Ukraine's military airfields, while Ukraine said on the same day that its forces had targeted Russian radar stations.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a brief that its air forces inflicted damage on the infrastructure of military airfields and energy facilities that ensure the operation of the military-industrial complex of the Ukrainian forces.
They also damaged Ukraine's concentrations of energy manpower and military equipment in 132 districts, the ministry said.
Russia's air defense systems shot down a long-range guided missile "Neptune," a projectile of HIMARS multiple rocket launcher and 45 drones, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said the Ukrainian army exchanged fires with Russian forces on the front line for 153 times and many of the fights were still raged on.
The Ukrainian forces on Friday struck three Russian radar stations in Crimea, said the Intelligence of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense.
Amid the grim situation on the frontlines, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he is willing to end the hot phase of the war if the territory controlled by the Ukrainian government can be brought under NATO protection, according to Ukrainian media reports.
Zelensky also said that the NATO invitation to Ukraine must recognizes Ukraine's internationally recognized borders.
The Ukrainian president made the remarks in an interview with British media. It is the first time that Zelensky has publicly supported the proposal to first put the Ukrainian-controlled areas into NATO's protection after the failed summer counteroffensive in 2023.
After the Ukraine-controlled areas are covered by NATO, Ukraine will take back the occupied land in a diplomatic way, Zelensky said, adding that the swift joining in NATO and a ceasefire can ensure that no more of Ukraine's territory will be occupied.
In response, Leonid Eduardovich Slutsky, chairman of the State Duma of Russia's Federal Assembly on International Affairs, called the idea from Ukraine unacceptable, saying that Ukraine's intention to join NATO indicates it wants to continue the war, rather than a ceasefire.
He also said that Russia has learned from the Minsk agreements and will not allow Western countries to arm Ukraine under the cover of agreements.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated that Russia is open to resolving the conflict through negotiations in a phone call with German Chancellor Scholz, but any potential agreement should take into account Russia's security interests.
Russia strikes Ukrainian military airfields, Ukraine attacks Russian radar stations
The user base of generative artificial intelligence (AI) products in China has now reached 230 million people and the core industry scale approached nearly 600 billion yuan (about 83 billion U.S. dollars), according to a report released by the China Internet Network Information Center (CINIC) on Saturday.
The development prospects of generative AI in China are broad, providing new driving forces for high-quality development, said the report.
According to the report, the generative AI sector in China is experiencing robust development, witnessing rapid growth in industry scale and product diversity and gradually becoming integrated into people's daily life. As of now, China has laid the foundation for a comprehensive AI industry system, with over 4,500 related enterprises contributing to a core industry scale nearing 600 billion yuan. This industry chain spans crucial sectors such as chips, algorithms, data, platforms, and applications.
The report highlights the deep integration of generative AI with traditional industries like manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare and education, propelling industrial transformation and ushering in new formats and models. As of June 2024, the user base of generative AI products in China has reached an impressive 230 million people, accounting for 16.4 percent of the nation's total population.
"The rapid growth of the user base of generative AI applications is driven by multiple factors. From a technical perspective, the continuous innovation and breakthroughs in core technologies such as deep learning and neural networks provide a solid technical foundation for generative AI. From the perspective of market demand, as digital transformation accelerates, industries have a surging demand for efficient and intelligent solutions, which can be satisfied by generative AI," said Liu Yulin, director of the China Internet Network Information Center.
Aside from technological advancements and market demands, Liu emphasizes the increasingly refined ecosystem of China's AI industry, where hardware, software, algorithms, and applications work in close coordination, fostering ideal conditions for the widespread adoption of generative AI.
The report reveals that by July 2024, over 190 large generative AI service models had been registered and launched to serve the public, offering users a diverse array of choices and unique user experiences.
The report underscores the rapid infiltration of generative AI into various sectors. Bolstered by resource concentration, technological innovation, and substantial policy support, Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong Province have emerged as forerunners in the development of the industry.
Over 60 percent of AI related products in the country are developed in the three places. As of November 2024, China has recorded a total of 309 registered generative AI products, with Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong representing 31.1 percent, 27.2 percent, and 11.7 percent, respectively.
In the first three quarters of 2024, China saw a total of 504 investment and financing events related to AI, with an aggregate investment amounting to approximately 81.2 billion yuan. Data from the China Organization Data Service indicates a 35.65-percent year-on-year increase in the number of AI enterprises in China during the first half of 2024.
China boasts 230 million generative AI products users: report
