Russia claimed on Sunday that its forces had captured Velika Novoshirka.a strategically important town in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. This statement cannot be independently verified; Ukraine's 110th Independent Mechanized Brigade said its troops had strategically withdrawn only from certain areas of Velika Novoshirka. To avoid siege. “This does not mean that we have completely left the city, the fighting in Velika Novosilka continues. All actions are aimed at minimizing our own losses and maximizing damage to the enemy. The brigade said that the withdrawal would create an obstacle in the river and make the advance of the Russian troops difficult. “The enemy…will have no peace and any movement will be cut off by artillery shells and drones.”
Russia also claimed that its troops had taken control of the Zelene settlement It is located in the Donetsk region. There was no independent confirmation. Zelen is located south of Pokrovsk, and Russia suffered heavy casualties in heavy operations against Ukrainian garrisons. In the latest assessment of the Russia-Ukraine war, The Institute for War Studies stated: “Russian troops have recently advanced into the vicinity of Tretsk, Pokrovsk, Krahov and Velika Novosilka.”
The Ukrainian military says it has attacked a warehouse in Russia's Oryol region and destroyed 200 Shahed drones. “A concrete structure was attacked where thermobaric warheads used to equip unmanned aerial vehicles were stored. We have information that a powerful secondary explosion occurred.”
Ukraine on Sunday claimed another successful drone attack on the Ryazan oil refinery southeast of Moscow. This was the second attack on the same site within two weeks. According to Kiev, the refinery is one of Russia's four largest refineries and is used by Moscow's air force. “An explosion and a fire were recorded in the targeted area,” the statement said. Pavel Markov, the governor of Russia's Ryazan region, said Russian air defense forces had “destroyed” a drone over the region and authorities were assessing the damage. Russian officials have routinely falsely claimed that all attacking drones were destroyed and that damage was only caused by falling debris.
Undersea fiber optic cable between Latvia and Sweden damaged on SundayProbably the result of external influence, Latvia said, prompting NATO to deploy patrol vessels in the area and provoking an investigation into the sabotage by Swedish authorities. NATO was coordinating warships and military aircraft under a recently deployed mission called “Baltic Sentry.” The initiative follows a series of incidents in which power cables, communication links and gas pipelines were damaged following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
