Overview
- Urban fighting has turned Pokrovsk into a contested gray zone, with multiple observers warning the town is close to falling to Russian forces.
- Russia’s defense ministry claims troops seized Mala Tokmachka and Rivnopillia in Zaporizhzhia, advances that could pressure Orikhiv and Huliajpole, though the claims remain unverified.
- Analysts say fog and Russian counter-drone measures have shifted a persistent drone “death zone” deep behind Ukrainian lines, eroding Kyiv’s earlier advantage.
- In Paris, Zelensky and Macron signed an intention to purchase up to 100 Rafale jets plus SAMP-T air defenses, radars and drones in a package slated to unfold over about ten years.
- President Trump said Republicans are preparing legislation to impose harsh sanctions on any country that does business with Russia.