Russia claims gains in Donetsk, deadly strikes hit multiple Ukrainian regions, and drone attacks intensify on both sides of the front line.
On day 1,243 of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, the conflict showed no signs of slowing, with deadly ground assaults and a surge in drone warfare defining the latest developments across both countries.
According to Russia’s Ministry of Defence, its forces seized control of the village of Bila Hora in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. The report, carried by state-run RIA Novosti, signals continued Russian advances in one of the war’s most contested battlegrounds.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials reported a series of deadly Russian attacks across multiple regions. A 78-year-old woman was killed in the village of Sveska in the Sumy region, Governor Oleh Hryhorov confirmed. In the Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions, six more civilians lost their lives in targeted strikes on Synelnykove, Pavlohrad, Kostiantynivka, Pokrovsk, and Raiske.
Governor Ivan Fedorov also reported that three women were wounded in attacks on the Zaporizhzhia and Vasylivka districts. In total, he said Russia launched 457 attacks on 18 settlements across the region on Sunday alone — a sharp escalation in firepower.
Ukraine’s Air Force countered by announcing it had shot down 18 out of 57 Russian drones launched overnight. The ongoing drone battle has become a key element of the war’s new phase, with both sides deploying increasing numbers of unmanned aerial vehicles for both reconnaissance and direct strikes.
Inside Russia, Moscow’s Mayor Sergei Sobyanin issued eight separate Telegram updates over a 24-hour period, reporting that Ukrainian drones targeting the capital had been intercepted. “Emergency services are working at the site of the debris fall,” Sobyanin said repeatedly, reflecting the growing frequency of cross-border drone attacks.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed its forces had downed 216 Ukrainian drones in the past 24 hours — a record-high figure that underscores how the drone war has expanded far beyond the front lines, reaching deep into national territories.
As both sides ramp up drone deployment and strike intensity, the Russia-Ukraine war continues to evolve into a high-tech and high-casualty conflict with no clear end in sight.