RUSSIA – As the Russia-Ukraine war continues, the Russian forces continue to advance on various fronts. In Kupyansk, a commander with the 121st Motorized Rifle Regiment reported that his unit had completed cleaning up the Prioskolnaya Street.
“We’ve completed clearing Prioskolnaya Street. The street is now completely under our control,” he said.
He reported also that at least 10 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed at the southern parts of Prioskolnaya Street.
“We’re engaging militant positions in the forested area south of Prioskolnaya Street with fire. Up to ten militants were killed during the fighting,” he added.
Another commander reported that his team was clearing the western parts of Kupyansk of Ukrainian soldiers.
Russia and Ukraine Exchange Drone Attacks
Russia on Friday said its air defenses destroyed 216 Ukrainian drones overnight across several regions and over the Black Sea, while Ukrainian officials reported multiple Russian strikes that killed and injured civilians in Kyiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Kirovohrad.
The Russian Defense Ministry said 66 drones were intercepted over the Krasnodar region, 45 over Saratov, 19 over Crimea, and others over Volgograd, Rostov, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Nizhny Novgorod and Orenburg, along with 59 destroyed over the Black Sea.
Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson regional administration, said 36 settlements came under fire, leaving one person dead and three injured.
He said residential areas, critical infrastructure and transport facilities were damaged, including 18 private houses, a shop, an administrative building and a trolleybus.
In the Zaporizhzhia region, regional governor Ivan Fedorov said Russian forces carried out 731 strikes on 20 settlements, killing four people.
He reported five airstrikes, seven MLRS barrages, and more than 400 drone attacks, mostly FPV-type, across towns including Bilenke, Gulyaipole and Mala Tokmachka.
Fedorov said two civilians were also killed in a separate FPV drone strike in Preobrazhenka, marking the second fatal attack in the district that evening.
In Kyiv, State Emergency Service said one person was killed and at least 24 others injured after missile strikes triggered fires and structural damage across several districts.
More than 40 people were rescued from high-rise buildings as fires broke out in Podilskyi, Dnipro, Solomyanskyi and Obolonskyi districts. Damage was also reported to residential blocks, a school area and a sports facility.
In the Kirovohrad region, regional head Andriy Raykovych said 16 settlements in the Novoukrainka district were left without electricity after a nighttime strike damaged a power line. Repair teams were working to restore supply.
Both Russia and Ukraine regularly report drone interceptions and cross-border attacks amid continued fighting along multiple fronts.
Ukrainian authorities say Russian forces have intensified aerial strikes on cities and infrastructure in recent weeks, while Moscow accuses Kyiv of increasing drone attacks deeper inside Russian territory.
North Korean Sappers Join Mine Clearing Team in Kursk Region
North Korean sappers working in the Kursk region have been trained to follow Russian commands as joint demining continues in areas retaken from Ukrainian forces, a Russian official said on Thursday.
The official told the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper that manuals were translated and printed for the Korean People’s Army (KPA) team, and “KPA sappers were trained in Russian commands.”
He said cooperation improved quickly and that the group received instruction on different types of mines.
Ukraine started its incursion into Kursk, a Russian region, in August 2024. Russia claimed to have retaken it this April.
In June, Russia’s security chief Sergey Shoygu said North Korea, which has helped Russia in its war on Ukraine, will send thousands of workers to help rebuild Kursk.
Russian officials claim Ukrainian forces left large numbers of mines and improvised explosive devices while withdrawing.
The official said the recovered explosives included anti-tank and anti-personnel mines, artillery shells and grenades “made in NATO countries,” along with Ukrainian-made improvised devices.
Local authorities say many areas remain dangerous. Vladimir Zaitsev, head of the Bolshesoldatsky district, said 37 of 64 settlements are still closed because of mines and unexploded devices, and residents have been moved to safer areas.
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