Heavy clashes persist across eastern Ukraine as Russian air strikes cause civilian fatalities

Fighting along Ukraine's eastern front remains severe, with Ukraine's General Staff recording between 221 and 254 combat engagements within 24 hours. Russian forces concentrated assaults on the Pokrovsk, Kostiantynivka, and Lyman sectors, where Ukrainian defenders reported repelling dozens of attacks.

Along the Kupiansk axis, Ukrainian forces conducted infantry operations along the Oskil River following electronic suppression of Russian drone networks. Reports also indicate potential Ukrainian gains near Lyman, though Russia's Defense Ministry claimed control over several settlements near Sumy. Meanwhile, Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov denied reports of Ukrainian progress in Zaporizhzhia.

Concurrently, Russian forces launched 138 drones overnight. The strikes killed a mother and her two children in Kyiv Oblast, while a separate attack targeted a monastery in Kherson Oblast, killing a priest.

Sources: NV, Point, Radio Svoboda, The Insider, Ukrainska Pravda.