Overview
- Kyiv says an Istanbul-derived exchange for 1,200 detainees per side is being set in motion through mediation by Turkey and the UAE, with talks also involving Qatar on the return of deported children.
- Local authorities reported at least three dead and ten wounded after an overnight Russian strike on Balakliya in Kharkiv region.
- Ukraine’s emergency service said drone attacks ignited fires at energy and port infrastructure in Odesa region, injured one person, and damaged civilian vessels, as the Energy Ministry imposed rolling outages across most regions.
- The Ukrainian General Staff logged 195 frontline clashes in a day, while Zelensky said Russia launched nearly 1,000 attack drones, about 980 guided bombs, and dozens of missiles over the past week.
- Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed control of two villages in Zaporizhzhia and said 36 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight, assertions that have not been independently verified, as Zelensky meets Macron to pursue air-defense and defense-industrial cooperation.