The Russian Defense Ministry says its forces have liberated the town of Nikolskoye in Sumy Oblast.
The ministry said Ukrainian losses exceeded 340 servicemen in the Center Group sector, more than 210 in the West, up to 190 in the South, more than 215 in the East and up to 35 in the Dnipro sector. The air defense system was also said to have shot down 4 Ukrainian Rusty Dagger cruise missiles and 802 UAVs, and Black Sea Navy forces destroyed two unmanned Ukrainian Navy boats in the northwestern Black Sea. Separately, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said that the West's actions aim to prolong the conflict instead of creating preconditions for a settlement in Ukraine.