Amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, tensions escalated with Ukraine’s forces incursion into Kursk. Russia’s foreign intelligence services accused Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, of taking “insane” steps that could escalate the war beyond his country. Ukraine’s top military commander claimed control of 1,000 square km of Kursk, with fighting continuing along the front line. Russian president Vladimir Putin promised a “worthy response” and ordered troops to dislodge the enemy from their territories. The International Atomic Energy Agency inspected a damaged cooling tower at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, with blame for a fire on Russia or Ukraine. Putin claimed the attack aimed to improve Kyiv’s negotiating position and slow Russian forces’ advance. Zelenskiy stated the Kursk attack targeted areas from which Russia launched assaults, aiming to bring peace closer. Ukrainian forces sought to encircle Sudzha, a critical area for Russian natural gas flow. Putin asserted Russian forces are progressing in Ukraine, with unverified claims of advancement. In other news, Ukrainian prosecutors detained a deputy energy minister and others for receiving a bribe related to smuggling mining equipment from a state-owned coal mining enterprise in the Donetsk region. The conflict intensified with Ukraine pummeling Russian regions with drones, leading to injuries and damages. Russia retaliated with missile warnings and its air defense units destroying drones, launching further attacks on Ukraine overnight. The situation remains volatile with both sides escalating their military actions.
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