Russia and Ukraine traded rival claims of battlefield gains as the four-year war intensified. Kyiv said its forces pushed Russian troops back in the Dnipropetrovsk region, while Moscow claimed advances in Donbas. Meanwhile, Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities continued and US-brokered peace talks were postponed

The Russian Foreign Ministry, in an official statement, stated that it condemns the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling it a violation of international law and a breach of the principles of civilised interstate relations