Heavy fighting continues across eastern front as Russian drone strikes cause civilian deaths

Clashes along Ukraine's eastern front remain intense, with Ukrainian military officials reporting between 220 and 250 daily engagements. Intensely contested sectors include the Pokrovsk, Lyman, and Kostiantynivka axes, where Ukrainian forces report repelling dozens of Russian assault attempts.

Conflicting claims over territorial changes persist. Russian defense officials reported capturing several settlements near Sumy, while General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov dismissed reports of Ukrainian gains in Zaporizhzhia. Conversely, independent reports indicate Ukrainian infantry operations advanced north of Kupiansk along the Oskil River, alongside potential territorial gains near Lyman.

Meanwhile, Russian overnight air attacks involved 138 uncrewed aerial vehicles. Local authorities reported civilian fatalities, including a mother and two children in Kyiv Oblast and a priest killed in a drone strike on a monastery in Kherson Oblast.

Sources: NV, Point, Радіо Свобода, The Insider, Українська правда.