Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, fighting is intensifying in eastern Ukraine as Russian forces move closer to the town of Druzhkivka. The town has been heavily damaged by the conflict, with destroyed buildings, debris-filled roads and damaged homes becoming part of daily life for the few civilians who remain. Authorities have launched emergency operations. According to the reports, as of now, no casualties or injuries have been reported yet.
Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: Russian Forces Edge Closer to Ukraine’s Fortress Belt as Druzhkivka Lies in Ruins
Russian troops are now reportedly around 15 km (nine miles) away, while Ukrainian forces continue fighting along the front. The destruction seen in Druzhkivka reflects the wider damage across the 1,200-km (746-mile) front line, where residential buildings, markets and shops have been heavily damaged.
For those who have remained, daily life has become increasingly difficult. Iryna Litovchenko, 56, described the loss of her home, saying, “My home is gone, as if it never existed.” She said she had been taken in by strangers after losing her home in the fighting.
Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: Russia says it will keep Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant supplied with diesel but external power must be restored
Russia’s Rosatom state nuclear corporation said on Monday that its priority was to keep the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeast Ukraine supplied with diesel fuel in the absence of an external power source.
Alexei Likhachev, Rosatom’s head, said in a statement that the situation at the plant was under full control as it was kept functioning on its backup diesel generators.
But he said such a situation could not go on indefinitely and that it was essential to restore external power lines.
He said he hoped that a local ceasefire could be arranged to pause fighting between Russia and Ukraine in order to carry out repairs to the Ferrosplavnaya-1 power line, which supplies electricity to the plant.
Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: Turkey Prepares Plan to Revive Black Sea Grain Deal
Turkey has prepared a plan to safely transport Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, as Ankara works to revive an agreement that helped Ukraine export food during the war.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said he was in contact with both Russia and Ukraine regarding the proposal. He said Turkey was working towards a new agreement similar to the Black Sea Grain Initiative if the necessary conditions are met.
The original deal was launched in July 2022 with the involvement of the United Nations and Turkey. It allowed nearly 33 million metric tonnes of Ukrainian grain to be exported through the Black Sea despite the ongoing war.
Russia withdrew from the agreement in 2023, saying its own food and fertiliser exports were facing significant obstacles. Turkey has since continued efforts to find a way to restore safe grain shipments from Ukraine.
Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: Russian Drone Strikes Continue in Kyiv as Supermarket Shelves Go Bare
Russian forces continued attacks on Kyiv and nearby areas for a fifth straight day, with repeated strikes on warehouses causing shortages at some supermarkets. The attacks have also included jet-powered drones, adding to growing disruption across the region.
Russia has stepped up its aerial attacks in recent months, with frequent air raid alerts affecting daily life in Kyiv. Recent strikes have also caused civilian deaths, including at least 38 people killed in an attack on Saturday.
As Ukrainian schools prepared to reopen, uncertainty remained over whether parents would send their children to classes. Schools have shelters, while online classes are also available.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia’s strategy was to “wear down Ukraine and Ukrainians” through continued attacks.
Ukraine has also targeted Russian online retailers and oil facilities, causing shortages in some areas, although its strikes have generally caused fewer civilian casualties.
Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: Musk Opposed to Ukraine Using Starlink for Strikes Inside Russia, Report Says
Elon Musk is reportedly against allowing Ukraine to use Starlink technology for strikes inside Russia, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
The sources told the Kyiv Independent that Musk does not believe expanding Starlink’s use for attacks on Russian territory would help bring the war to an end.
Ukraine has for some time been seeking US approval to use Starlink-equipped drones against Russian targets. Earlier reports had suggested that Musk was considering allowing such use.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also reportedly asked US President Donald Trump for assistance in securing permission to use the technology during a meeting last month.
Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: EU naval forces board sixth suspected Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tanker
European Union naval forces have intercepted another suspect oil tanker, marking what EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas confirmed as the “sixth suspected shadow fleet vessel boarded by our EU operations in recent months.”
Executed under maritime security missions like Operation IRINI and Operation ATALANTA, the high-seas boardings conduct “flag verification” checks on unflagged, falsely flagged, or uninsured vessels operating outside standard maritime law to skirt G7 price caps.
It is widely believed that Russia’s shadow fleet consists of hundreds of tankers, transporting crude oil off-grid to evade energy sanctions.
Russia-Ukraine War latest News: US Trains Polish Special Forces in Drone Warfare Using Lessons From Ukraine
The soldiers are members of Poland’s special forces and are taking part in a new drill focused on the use of drones in war. The exercise trains them to move through enemy-controlled areas, travel deep into enemy territory, and use drones to attack key targets.
The training was created by the US Army’s Green Berets for American special forces. It is based on challenges faced by Ukrainian soldiers during their war with Russia. This is the first time the training has been carried out with a NATO ally such as Poland, as tensions between Russia and NATO continue to grow.
“We’re using lessons learned from Ukraine,” a US Army Green Beret officer involved in the training said. He added that the exercise tries to copy the challenges that both Russian and Ukrainian forces have faced during the war.
The Associated Press was given rare access to the training area and the soldiers taking part. The exercise has been held only twice before, both times earlier this year by different US Green Beret teams.
Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: Russia suffered 1,600 casualties on Sunday, Ukraine says
Russia reportedly suffered 1,600 troop casualties in Ukraine on Sunday, according to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, taking the total losses claimed by Kyiv to 1,488,200 since the beginning of the war.
Ukraine also estimates that Russia has lost 12,316 tanks, 25,255 armoured fighting vehicles and 48,883 artillery systems since the conflict began.
Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: Russia launched nearly 2,000 drones at Ukraine last week, says Zelensky
Russia launched nearly 2,000 attack drones, more than 1,600 aerial bombs and 31 missiles at Ukraine over the past week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday.
Zelensky said Russian attacks had been “virtually constant” in areas including Nikopol, Kramatorsk and Kherson, as well as parts of Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Donetsk and Sumy.
He said Ukraine was seeking a response to every Russian attack and would continue to hold Moscow accountable.
Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: Russia says Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant remains dependent on diesel generators
Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom said its priority was to ensure a steady supply of diesel fuel to the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant while external electricity remains unavailable.
Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev said the plant was under control and operating on backup diesel generators, but warned that the situation could not continue indefinitely. He called for the restoration of external power and suggested a local ceasefire to allow repairs to the damaged power line.
Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: Russian attacks destroy millions of books ahead of school reopening
Russian strikes have reportedly targeted Ukrainian printing facilities and publishing warehouses, destroying more than 12 million books ahead of the new school year.
A printing plant near Kyiv was struck as it prepared to produce around 1.3 million books for students. A second-hand book market in Kyiv was also recently targeted, reportedly destroying hundreds of stalls.
Viktoria Haida, commercial director of the affected Konvi publishing company, said she believed the attacks were deliberate and noted that several major publishers had recently lost warehouses containing large quantities of books.
