Overview
- Large sections of Pokrovsk remain contested with hour-to-hour shifts in a close-quarters battle, as Russian forces push and Ukrainian units report localized counterattacks.
- Russia’s defense ministry claims the city’s defenders are surrendering and says 11 Ukrainian special operators inserted by helicopter were neutralized, assertions Ukraine denies as unverified propaganda.
- Ukrainian commanders describe a high‑risk Black Hawk insertion by GUR special forces to reopen supply corridors and reinforce positions, with operations still underway.
- Overnight strikes killed six people, including two children, and caused major power outages, while the IAEA warned that repeated hits on Ukraine’s grid pose ongoing nuclear‑safety risks.
- Independent analysts geolocated recent Russian advances in central and southeastern sectors, Germany delivered Patriot missiles to bolster air defense, and the Kremlin said a Trump–Putin summit is not urgent.