Fighting
Zaporizhzhia: The Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration stated on Telegram that Russian forces launched multiple attacks on the region over the past day, killing one person and injuring seven others.
The administration reported that the attacks involved 448 drones and 163 artillery strikes, damaging 136 homes, cars, and other buildings.
Donetsk: Donetsk Oblast Governor Vadym Filashkin said on Telegram that Russian forces continued to shell Ukraine’s Donetsk region over the past day, forcing the evacuation of 173 people, including 135 children, from front-line areas.
Dnipropetrovsk: Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Oleksandr Vilkul reported on Telegram that a 54-year-old man was killed in a Russian attack in the Nikopol district of Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region.
Energy Infrastructure: According to Ukraine’s Energy Ministry, Russian attacks also caused power outages in multiple regions of Ukraine, including over 99,000 households in the Odesa region.
Russia: Russian Bryansk Oblast Governor Alexander Bogomaz said a Ukrainian drone attack on the village of Aleinikovo in the region resulted in one fatality.
Territorial Claims: According to Russia’s TASS news agency, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that Russian forces had captured the village of Kharkivka in Ukraine’s Sumy region and the village of Krinichne in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Frontline Update: Ukrainian battlefield monitoring website DeepState reported that Russian forces have advanced in the vicinity of Nikiforivka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
Russian Defense Claims: TASS also reported that the Russian Defense Ministry claimed its forces had shot down 155 Ukrainian drones, 11 rocket launchers, and two guided aerial bombs within 24 hours.
Peace Talks
Geneva Negotiations: Negotiators from Russia and Ukraine concluded the second day of U.S.-brokered peace talks in Geneva. Both sides described the negotiations as “difficult.”
Zelenskyy’s Statement: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that while “some progress has been made… there are currently disagreements between the positions because the negotiations are very difficult.”
Ceasefire Monitoring: In a subsequent interview on the current affairs program “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” President Zelenskyy indicated that Russia and Ukraine are close to an agreement on how to monitor a potential ceasefire. However, progress is slower on “political” issues, including the most contentious matter of territorial control.
U.S. Reaction: In Washington, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the parties have committed to “continue working together towards a peace agreement,” have made “substantive progress,” and that more talks are expected in the near future.
Russian Reaction: Russia’s chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, described the two days of talks in Geneva as “difficult but pragmatic” and told reporters that further negotiations would be held soon, without specifying a timeline.
Ukrainian Negotiator: Head of the Kyiv negotiating team, Rustem Umerov, stated that the second day of talks was “intense and substantive,” with both sides working towards decisions that can be presented to their respective presidents.
Politics & Diplomacy
Sanctions on Belarus: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on social media that Ukraine has imposed sanctions on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, promising to “increase countermeasures against Minsk” for its support of Russia’s war against Ukraine, including providing a relay station for Russian drone attacks.
U.S. Senators in Kyiv: U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire visited Kyiv along with three other Democratic senators.
Senator’s Message: Shaheen told reporters she hopes “to see a more robust effort and some real action to put pressure on Putin” upon their return.
Sports
Estonia’s Reaction: Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna posted on Telegram that it is “a disgrace to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the Milan-Cortina Paralympics” while Russia continues its full-scale war against Ukraine.
Broadcaster Boycott: Estonian public broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling announced it will not broadcast the upcoming Paralympics in protest against the decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their respective national flags.