Overview

• Ukrainian shelling and drone strikes damaged high-voltage equipment, plunging Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia into a complete blackout.
• Debris from downed drones knocked out two substations in Kherson, leaving over 100,000 residents across 150 towns and villages without electricity.
• Officials overseeing the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant report stable radiation readings and uninterrupted shutdown operations under permanent IAEA oversight.
• Negotiators in Istanbul have exchanged prisoner lists under a new agreement paving the way for a larger POW swap and the return of fallen soldiers’ remains.
• Ukrainian leaders are calling for fresh sanctions to increase pressure on Moscow and advance ceasefire talks.