Russia strikes Ukrainian military airfields, Ukraine attacks Russian radar stations

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

At precisely 07:15 each morning, veteran meteorologist Tsering Dekyi launches a weather balloon from Lhasa Meteorological Station, continuing a ritual that has documented the remarkable transformation of the capital city of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region over half a century.

For 26 years, Dekyi has maintained this precision-critical routine where even a one-second delay constitutes a professional failure.

"Attention to details is vital. The tiniest error can cause disaster. A mistake of just 0.1 in the data input can have a major impact," she said.

As the balloon rises into sky, it captures atmospheric readings while revealing panoramic views of Lhasa's evolving skyline, where ancient temples now neighbor modern infrastructure.

The daily launches, conducted at optimal atmospheric conditions, showcase how this ancient city harmonizes heritage with development. Through the lens of balloon-mounted cameras, prayer-flag adorned rooftops give way to sprawling new residential districts and the gleaming Lhasa-Nyingchi railway terminus.

Meteorological balloons have risen from this station since the 1970s, their flight paths unintentionally chronicling urban expansion. Where observers once saw mostly farmland, they now document a regional hub with highways radiating across the plateau and solar farms powering growth.

As Dekyi watches another balloon shrink to a dot, its sensors will transmit real-time updates about the rarefied air above one of Asia's fastest-transforming cities, where tradition and progress share the same horizon.

Weather balloons witness Lhasa's remarkable transformation