Kharkiv Under Fire
Local authorities claim that Russian drone strikes on Kharkiv, Ukraine, killed three civilians and injured 60 others, including nine children. Residential regions were the target of the overnight assaults. Regional administration head Oleg Synegubov confirmed that one of the victims, a 65 year old man, died from serious burns in hospital.
Body Repatriation Deal with Russia
As part of a repatriation and prisoner exchange agreement negotiated during peace negotiations in Istanbul, Ukraine has confirmed the return of 1,212 bodies of Ukrainian servicemen. Reportedly killed in Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and even in Russia’s Kursk region were the soldiers. Keeping the bodies in refrigerated trucks close to the border, the Kremlin said it had been waiting “several days” to return them.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of politicizing the exchange, cautioning against the use of humanitarian gestures for “dirty political games.”
Drone Strike Hits Russian Ammunition Plant
A gunpowder facility in Russia’s Tambov oblast reportedly experienced explosions and a major fire allegedly resulting from a Ukrainian drone strike. Past strikes have targeted the facility at Kotovsk, one of Russia’s biggest ammunition manufacturers. Russian media verified a fire following drone strikes, but they fell short of explicitly ascribing damage to the factory. Statement not issued by Ukraine.
US to Cut Military Aid to Ukraine
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has revealed that the future defence budget would cut military assistance to Ukraine, a significant change in US foreign policy. Since the war started in 2022, the United States has provided $66 billion in military support.
Hegseth said, stressing the Trump administration’s preference for a negotiated settlement rather than ongoing military assistance, “This government views the conflict quite differently.” He mentioned opposing world interests as the cause for changing priorities, indicating the US is headed toward deescalation and diplomacy.
