Overview
- At a televised call‑in and press conference, Vladimir Putin said Russian forces are advancing along the entire contact line and asserted the strategic initiative has shifted to Moscow.
- Putin claimed a 15‑battalion Ukrainian grouping is encircled near Kupyansk and cited Russian control or gains in Seversk, Krasnoarmeysk/Pokrovsk, parts of Huliaipole, and fighting for Konstantinivka, though independent and Ukrainian sources dispute several of these assertions.
- Russia’s Defense Ministry reported combined strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure and drone assembly and storage facilities, along with attacks on multiple Ukrainian brigades, with battlefield damage figures not independently verified.
- Diplomats cited by Reuters said EU leaders discussed a €90 billion loan from the EU budget for Kyiv, with the question of using frozen Russian assets remaining unresolved after leaders did not agree to confiscation.
- Estonia’s Kaja Kallas said EU divisions over the asset issue serve Putin’s interests and urged action, while independent outlet Current Time highlighted Ukrainian and monitoring reports that contradict key Kremlin battlefield claims, including around Kupyansk.