These are the key events on day 1,141 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Fighting

• Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 55 drones overnight, with air defense units shooting down 32. Eight more drones were lost due to electronic warfare measures, according to the air force.
• Russian drone attacks targeted three Ukrainian cities, Kramatorsk, Dnipro, and Kharkiv, injuring at least 22 people, with at least seven requiring hospitalization. The strikes also caused a fire and damaged houses and cars.
• Moscow is investigating the killing of eight civilians by Ukrainian soldiers in Russia’s Kursk region, which was under Ukraine’s control at the time of the reported deaths.

• Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed to have destroyed 158 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 29 over the southern Rostov region and 69 over the Krasnodar region. No injuries were immediately reported, but about 50 buildings were evacuated due to the drone threats.

• The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced that a member of Kyiv’s military was sentenced to 15 years in prison for providing military intelligence to Russia.

Ceasefire

• Kremlin Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of continuing daily attacks on Russian energy infrastructure despite a 30-day moratorium on energy strikes agreed upon by both sides.
• Moscow’s Defence Ministry said Ukraine carried out four energy attacks in the past day. The Kremlin also accused Ukraine’s drones of attempting to strike a compressor station serving the TurkStream pipeline, which sends gas from Russia to Turkiye via the Black Sea.

Politics and Diplomacy

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that talks with the United States on a minerals-for-security deal would take place next week.
• Ukraine has completed its position and outlined its vision for a future minerals deal with the US, according to Kyiv’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. The minister added that Ukraine would soon finalize the composition of a delegation to travel to Washington for further discussions.
• A document uncovered by the media reveals that the Ukrainian government allocated $2.7m to engage consulting services to advise on a minerals deal draft plan.

• Admiral Samuel Paparo, head of US forces in the Asia Pacific region, confirmed that two individuals captured by Ukraine while fighting for Russia were of Chinese origin. He also suggested that any Russian success in Europe would strengthen China’s own aggressive goals.
• President Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainian intelligence has information on 155 Chinese nationals fighting for the Russian military against Ukraine, with the actual number likely being higher. He accused Russia of drawing Beijing into the war.
• China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed claims of significant numbers of Chinese citizens fighting alongside Russia in Ukraine as having “no basis” and said it is verifying reports of Chinese nationals captured while fighting in Ukraine. The ministry’s spokesperson, Lin Jian, also advised citizens to avoid areas of armed conflict.
• Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on allegations that Chinese soldiers were fighting with Moscow’s troops against Ukraine.
• The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, noted an increase in Moscow’s attacks on Kyiv following the US’s proposal for talks on a ceasefire to end the war.
• Zelenskyy informed reporters that Ukraine’s military action in Russia’s Belgorod region was to prevent Moscow from increasing pressure on Ukraine’s border region.