Overview

• The Kursk nuclear plant operator said an intercepted drone exploded near the site, damaged an auxiliary transformer and forced one reactor to reduce output, with radiation levels reported as normal.
• Regional authorities reported a fire at Novatek’s Ust-Luga fuel terminal near St. Petersburg after 10 drones were intercepted over the port, with emergency services deployed and no casualties initially reported.
• President Volodymyr Zelensky cast the cross-border raids as a response to stalled diplomacy, while Russia’s Sergei Lavrov accused Western countries of trying to block talks as U.S.-led mediation continues under a short timeline for policy decisions.
• Russia and Ukraine each said 146 prisoners of war were returned in a reciprocal exchange, which the Russian Defense Ministry credited to mediation by the United Arab Emirates.
• On the ground, Moscow claimed the capture of Sredneïe and Kleban-Byk in Donetsk, as Ukraine’s commander-in-chief said troops had retaken Mykhailivka, Zeleniï Gai and Volodymyrivka.