Overview

• Regional authorities in Tula, Voronezh, Ivanovo, Lipetsk, Stavropol, Mordovia and Novorossiysk issued public warnings of UAV threats overnight, activating alert systems.
• Belgorod’s governor reported heavy damage to energy infrastructure after strikes, leaving about 40,000 residents without power as emergency crews worked to restore service.
• Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces seized the settlement of Kuzminovka in the Donetsk region and released footage showing drones spotting targets and supporting the assault.
• The Russian military highlighted increased use of strike and reconnaissance UAVs, while a unit officer told RIA his detachment destroyed more than 50 M777 howitzers in the Kherson sector, a claim not independently verified.
• Russian state media, citing security sources, reported Ukrainian drone-unit shake-ups and a new foreign-mercenary UAV battalion called “Flash,” as well as allegations of efforts to centralize drone procurement in Kyiv, none of which has independent confirmation.