Russia has announced that they have taken control of a town near the city of Turtsk in eastern Ukraine and shot down a MiG-29 fighter belonging to the Ukrainian Air Force. An attack by Ukrainian forces targeting a Russian village adjacent to Ukraine resulted in the deaths of five people, including two children. The Governor of the Russian Kursk region confirmed these events. In response, Ukraine conducted a prisoner exchange involving priests and soldiers with Russia.
Russian forces also destroyed two S-300 air defense systems belonging to Ukrainian forces and targeted 7 Ukrainian brigades. In retaliation, a Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian village near the border resulted in casualties, including two children. Meanwhile, three people were injured in Sevastopol due to a missile attack, and two air targets were destroyed over the waters of Sevastopol.
On the diplomatic front, Russia and Ukraine conducted a prisoner exchange that included priests and soldiers. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the release of two Ukrainian Roman Catholic priests, while Russia received a Ukrainian Orthodox clergy official and two priests. The exchange was facilitated by Vatican mediation and marks efforts to ease tensions between the two countries amid ongoing conflict.
In addition to these developments, Russian Defense Ministry reported that units of the Central Group of Troops liberated the town of Shumi near Toretsk, a crucial location on the front line. The fall of Toretsk into Russian hands could open the way for them to Kostyantynivka and Kramatorsk, key targets for the Russian army. Residents of Turetsk reported heavy bombing operations by Russia, prompting authorities to call for evacuations.
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