Overview
- Russia says its forces entered Pokrovsk and Kupiansk, and its defense ministry claims control of eastern Kupiansk and the Zaporizhia village of Novouspenivske.
- Ukraine denies that Pokrovsk has fallen and reports roughly 300 Russian soldiers inside the city following recent attempts to infiltrate under dense fog.
- A video posted by pro‑Russian war bloggers shows fighters driving into Pokrovsk on motorcycles and damaged vehicles, with Reuters verifying the location but not the date.
- Ukraine’s southern defense forces announced withdrawals from positions near five settlements in Zaporizhia as Russian assaults increased.
- Russia’s FSB claims Kinzhal strikes near Kyiv and on an airbase, while Ukraine reports attacks on a Saratov oil refinery and a Feodosia maritime terminal, with separate drone strikes damaging infrastructure in the Odesa region.