Live:Ukraine
🔹 Flooding from a damaged dam in Russia’s Belgorod region has hit Russian positions and disrupted logistics near Vovchansk.
Russian media previously claimed that Ukrainian forces struck the dam, reporting that the water level in the reservoir dropped by one meter within 24 hours.
The water is now flowing into the Siverskyi Donets River, flooding Russian trenches and bunkers nearby.
According to Ukraine’s Defense Forces, the flooding has complicated enemy logistics — Russian units that managed to cross the Siverskyi Donets have been cut off from their main forces.
▪️Earlier today, Russia’s General Staff claimed that 70% of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region is under Russian control. Ukrainian Defense Forces deny this, describing the enemy’s advances as limited and local.
🔸 Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) forces struck three Russian radar stations and a landing craft in Crimea.
According to the HUR, operatives from the special unit “Shadows” targeted:
🔴a 96L6 radar of the S-400 Triumf air defense system;
🔴a P-18 Terek radar;
🔴a 55Zh6U Nebo-U radar;
🔴and a BK-16 landing craft.
🇷🇸Serbia has offered to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Belgrade.
“Serbia is among the countries that could be useful, given our experience and the fact that we maintain friendly relations with all parties involved. We want to help initiate negotiations to end this terrible tragedy,” said Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Đurić.
He emphasized that the war in Ukraine must end immediately, adding that Belgrade supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all UN-recognized states — including Ukraine.
Analysts note that Serbia would be an unusual choice for hosting future talks, given its historical, cultural, and religious ties to Russia.
Although Serbia voted for UN resolutions condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the annexation referendums, Belgrade has refused to join Western sanctions against Moscow.
🔹 Russia has concentrated its main assault force against Pokrovsk, where logistics are difficult, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
He reported that intense fighting continues in and around the city, with an enemy sabotage group already operating inside Pokrovsk.
“Russia’s plans for its offensive campaign over the past ten months have once again collapsed thanks to the courage of our soldiers. All the deadlines set by Putin have failed — and not for the first time,” the president emphasized.
🔸 A fire broke out at the Serpukhov oil depot in the Moscow region.
Earlier in the evening, an air raid alert had been declared across the region due to a drone attack.
🔹 Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that President Zelensky told him during their last conversation that Ukraine is prepared to fight against Russia’s invasion for several more years.
“I have no doubt that Ukraine will survive as an independent state. The main question now is how many lives it will cost. President Zelensky told me (on Thursday) that he hopes the war won’t last ten years, but that Ukraine is ready to fight for another two or three years,” Tusk said.
🇺🇸U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev a propagandist who lies by claiming that sanctions will not affect Russia.
Earlier, Dmitriev said that U.S. and European sanctions against Russia “will have absolutely no impact on the Russian economy” and would only lead to “rising gas prices in the U.S.”
Bessent responded that Moscow “will immediately feel the consequences.” He noted that India has already completely stopped purchasing Russian oil and that many Chinese refineries have halted operations.
“Are you really going to publish what a Russian propagandist says? What else could he say — that everything is terrible and that it will force Putin to negotiate?” the Treasury Secretary remarked.
He added that Russia’s economy is now operating in wartime mode, its growth is “zero,” and inflation exceeds 20%. According to Bessent, the Kremlin’s war machine is funded by oil sales — and sanctions have “significantly reduced revenues from them.”
🇱🇹Flights at Vilnius Airport in Lithuania were temporarily suspended after several aerial balloons were spotted flying toward the airport. Operations resumed around 4:30 a.m.
Due to the disruption, a total of 47 flights were affected: 13 were canceled, 14 were diverted to other airports, and 20 were delayed.
Authorities warned that additional delays may occur throughout the day because of crew schedule changes. Passengers were advised not to travel to the airport if their flight was canceled and instead contact their airline for alternative travel arrangements.
🔸 In 2022, a small U.S. arms company called Firearms won a $1 billion contract to supply weapons to Ukraine — but never delivered them, according to the Financial Times.
The deal included a massive shipment of ammunition: 10 million anti-aircraft rounds, 56,000 Grad rockets, and more. Kyiv paid €17 million upfront but never received a single bullet. The payment was one of hundreds of millions of dollars lost to failed or fraudulent defense procurement deals.
At the time the company signed a state-level weapons contract, its office reportedly had only a temporary sign and a handful of online reviews from local customers praising its “very reasonable” prices.
A U.S. federal judge has now ordered the company to repay the full amount, plus interest and legal costs — bringing the total to more than €20 million.
🔹 Russia does not believe its aggression in Ukraine violates the Budapest Memorandum, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Lavrov justified Moscow’s actions by claiming that, alongside the Budapest Memorandum, the same parties signed a declaration outlining their obligations to uphold OSCE principles — including minority rights, democracy, and freedom of speech. According to the Russian foreign minister, Kyiv allegedly violated those commitments.
🇺🇸Donald Trump said that Putin “should end the war, not test missiles.”
Responding to the Kremlin leader’s announcement about testing a nuclear-powered, unlimited-range cruise missile known as Burevestnik, Trump reminded that the U.S. “has a nuclear submarine sitting right next to Russia.”
“And by the way, I don’t think Putin should be saying things like that either… He needs to end the war — a war that was supposed to last one week but is now entering its fourth year. That’s what he should be doing, not testing missiles,” the U.S. president emphasized.
🇸🇪Swedish defense company Saab plans to build a Gripen fighter jet assembly plant in Ukraine.
As part of the agreement between Ukraine and Sweden for the purchase of 150 Gripen aircraft, Saab is prepared to establish facilities in Ukraine for the final assembly of the jets.
At the same time, CEO Micael Johansson did not rule out the possibility that some of the production could also take place in Ukraine.
▪️ Ukraine expects to receive its first Gripen fighters from Sweden in 2026. The Guardian earlier reported that Kyiv could pay for the jets using frozen Russian assets.