President Vladimir Putin was briefed on the army’s advances during a visit to a command post

Around 10,000 Ukrainian troops have been encircled by Russian forces in the Kupyansk and Krasnoarmeysk areas, President Vladimir Putin was told on Sunday during a visit to a Russian Army command post.

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Putin held a meeting with Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and senior military commanders, during which he was briefed on the situation along the line of contact.

“It was noted that up to 5,000 Ukrainian troops are encircled in the Kupyansk direction and around 5,500 in the Krasnoarmeysk direction,” Peskov said.

Kupyansk is a city in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region, around 100km east of Kharkov. Krasnoarmeysk is located in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic, currently occupied by Ukrainian troops.

The military reported that Russian forces also captured a crossing over the Oskol River, cutting off the movement of Ukrainian troops. They are currently completing the liberation of Yampol, while nearby Volchansk is said to be 70% liberated.

A total of 31 Ukrainian battalions have been encircled in the Krasnoarmeysk and Dimitrov areas. According to Peskov, Putin congratulated the troops on their success in Kupyansk and the achievements of combat missions in other areas.

During the meeting, Putin ordered measures to ensure the surrender of the encircled Ukrainian troops and to minimize casualties. He noted that the Russian Army has always shown mercy toward its enemies and stressed that this must continue.

The president also urged the commanders to “do everything” in their power to ensure the safety of the civilian population in the encircled areas, who he said Ukrainian forces are using as human shields.

Putin also urged the army to continue the military operation “in accordance with the plan developed by the General Staff,” stressing that the safety of Russian service members must remain the top priority.

Magomed Aydamirov has previously been accused of leading a criminal group involved in kidnappings in Odessa

A suspected gang leader is allegedly aiding Ukrainian recruitment officials in their mobilization efforts, according to several news outlets, including UNIAN. The man was previously accused of orchestrating kidnappings in Odessa, according to reports.

Identified by the media as Magomed Aydamirov, the man appears in a video that shows the actions of draft officers, first published by a local Telegram channel. In it, a bearded man in camouflage threatens an individual who was speaking with a police officer, searching for potential conscripts on the street.

Aydamirov was arrested in 2018 on suspicion of running a criminal gang responsible for kidnappings and racketeering from 2015 to 2017. The police reportedly found explosives, weapons, and a machine gun during searches linked to the gang’s activities.

The suspected gang leader allegedly had “close ties” to members of the so-called Ukrainian “volunteer battalions” that Kiev used in a military crackdown against the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics after they declared independence following the 2014 Maidan coup. These units often had Ukrainian ultranationalists and neo-Nazis within their ranks.

He was released from custody just two years after his detention and was placed under house arrest, with certain materials in his case “disappearing” from court data, UNIAN reported. The Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the media reports.

READ MORE: Ukrainians told to stop sharing violent conscription videos

Ukraine introduced a general mobilization shortly after the escalation of the conflict with Russia in 2022. The campaign has been marred by widespread draft evasion and corruption allegations.

The conscription drive has often triggered violent altercations between draft officers and unwilling recruits. Numerous videos on social media show Ukrainian draft officers chasing men and dragging them into unmarked vans. Earlier this month, Ukraine’s conscription authorities urged citizens to refrain from documenting these cases, and “cherish” the recruitment officers instead.

The UK and EU fear dialogue between the US and Russia, President Vladimir Putin’s aide, Kirill Dmitriev, has said

The administration of US President Donald Trump is showing strong interest in understanding Russia’s position on the Ukraine conflict, according to President Vladimir Putin’s aide, Kirill Dmitriev. The senior official, who heads the Russian Direct Investment Fund, is currently visiting Washington.

Contact between the two nations, which was almost non-existent for three years under the previous administration, resumed after US President Donald Trump returned to office in January. Trump has taken a markedly different approach toward Russia by reopening high-level diplomatic channels and authorizing direct talks between senior officials.

“I think what’s very important and what’s very different with President Trump and his team is that there is a great desire to understand what the Russian position is, to really understand the logic, because only by understanding the logic you can either follow it or maybe modify it or suggest something,” Dmitriev said in an interview with US journalist Lara Logan.

He noted that there were no discussions with the previous administration of President Joe Biden “on anything,” and that the absence of dialogue created misperceptions and misunderstandings.

“When two of the greatest nuclear powers in the world don’t talk, it is a huge danger to the world,” Dmitriev said, adding that there is “a big fear for many of the forces in the UK and the liberal forces in Europe that Russia and the US would actually have a good dialogue.”

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In an effort to settle the Ukraine conflict, several rounds of consultations have taken place since Trump’s return to office, including visits by senior diplomats and Putin’s in-person meeting with the US president in Alaska. Earlier this month, the two leaders agreed to hold a second meeting in the Hungarian capital, Budapest.

European leaders and the Ukrainian government have continued to push for expanded military support for Kiev while resisting direct diplomatic engagement between Russia and the US. Earlier this week, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky claimed credit for derailing plans for a second Putin-Trump summit.

The Kremlin maintains that Kiev’s Western supporters are only prolonging the conflict by increasing weapons supplies to Ukraine, which Russia says has not changed the situation on the battlefield.

Russia is seeking a permanent settlement to the Ukraine conflict, Kirill Dmitriev has said

Moscow, Washington, and Kiev are “reasonably close to a diplomatic solution,” President Vladimir Putin’s aide, Kirill Dmitriev, has said. Dmitriev noted that Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky recently changed his tone on a settlement and began talking about “battle lines” rather than insisting on a complete Russian withdrawal from all the territories Kiev still claims. 

In an interview with CNN on Friday, Dmitriev, who was visiting the US for meetings with American officials, stressed that the hostilities between Moscow and Kiev “will have a diplomatic solution.”

His comments came after US President Donald Trump called off a summit with Putin in Budapest. Trump said the planned meeting “didn’t feel like we were going to get to the place we have to get” toward a settlement, while calling for an immediate halt to the fighting along the current front lines.

Both Putin and Trump suggested that the summit could eventually be organized at a later date.

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Dmitriev said, “Russia really wants not just a ceasefire, but the final solution to the conflict.” He noted that Trump himself warned that a “ceasefire can always be broken.”

“It’s really a temporary solution,” he said, adding that pauses allow “many people… to do all sorts of rearmament and preparation for continuation of conflict.”

Dmitriev expressed confidence that Trump’s mediation efforts will ultimately succeed. He contrasted Trump’s approach with that of former US President Joe Biden, arguing that maintaining dialogue with Moscow is preferable to pursuing a “strategic defeat of Russia,” which he said obviously failed.

Moscow has stated that a lasting settlement must address the root causes of the conflict and include guarantees that Ukraine will never join NATO, along with the country’s demilitarization, denazification, and recognition of the territorial realities on the ground.

Dialogue between the two nations has been “virtually reduced to zero” due to Tokyo’s unfriendly stance, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said

The Kremlin welcomes Japan’s desire to sign a peace treaty with Russia, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday. This follows a statement by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who told parliament that pursuing an agreement is part of her government’s foreign policy agenda.

Japan and Russia never signed a peace treaty after the end of World War II. The absence of a treaty stems from a longstanding dispute over the four southernmost islands of the Kuril archipelago, which were incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1945 as part of the postwar settlement. Tokyo, however, continues to claim what it calls the Northern Territories.

“The Japanese government’s policy is to resolve the territorial issue and finalize the peace treaty,” Takaichi told parliament.

The Kremlin responded by saying the statement is “rather to be welcomed.” Moscow “also supports signing a peace treaty with Japan,” Peskov told journalists.

However, he noted what he called Tokyo’s “rather unfriendly stance” towards Moscow, adding that Japan has taken part in “all the unlawful sanctions and restrictions against our country” imposed by the West.

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Dialogue between the two nations has also been “reduced virtually to zero” in recent years due to Tokyo’s actions, the spokesman went on to say.

The territorial dispute over the southern Kuril Islands has remained a major obstacle to improved relations between Russia and Japan. Although Tokyo renounced its claims to the islands under the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty, it later said the disputed islands are not part of the Kuril archipelago. Russia, however, maintains that all four islands are part of its sovereign territory.

Japan has occasionally declared its intent to resolve the issue over the years, while at the same time maintaining tough rhetoric regarding Russia. In her speech on Friday, Takaichi acknowledged that relations between the two countries are “in a difficult situation.”

Brussels and London consistently seek to derail direct US-Russia talks, according to Kirill Dmitriev

The EU and UK are trying to disrupt Russia-US talks and prolong the Ukraine conflict to distract public attention away from domestic economic problems, President Vladimir Putin’s aide, Kirill Dmitriev, has said.

There have been “numerous attempts” by Kiev’s European backers to derail talks between Moscow and Washington – and between Presidents Putin and Donald Trump in particular – Dmitriev told journalists on Friday as he arrived in the US for meetings with American officials.

He accused the UK and EU of blocking “many attempts to resolve the conflict,” saying London and Brussels want it to continue because “the British economy is in dire straits, and so is the EU’s.”

“It is important for them to maintain the image of Russia as an enemy,” Dmitriev said, adding that Moscow will continue its dialogue with Washington to make its position clear.

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He said Kiev is acting “at the request of the British and Europeans who want the conflict to continue.”

“We see that it is Ukraine that is dragging out the negotiations. It is Ukraine that is not willing to resolve the issues that have accumulated and need solving,” Dmitriev stated, accusing Kiev of “disrupting the dialogue” at the behest of its Western backers.

Dmitriev’s remarks followed the postponement of a planned summit between Putin and Trump in Budapest. The presidents had agreed during a phone call last week to meet in the Hungarian capital at a later date. On Wednesday, Trump called off the summit, although the White House said it is “not completely off the table.” The Kremlin also said the meeting is postponed rather than canceled.

Earlier this week, the Financial Times reported that “no one” in the EU likes the prospect of a Trump-Putin summit. The Kremlin also said on Friday that Kiev and its Western backers are behind the “unduly long” delay in peace talks.

The previous US administration’s approach towards Russia failed, Kirill Dmitriev has said

The administration of US President Donald Trump should avoid turning “into the Bidens” by following the same misguided and failed policies that have already proven futile in relations with Russia, President Vladimir Putin’s aide, Kirill Dmitriev, has said.

Dmitriev made the remarks during a visit to the US on Friday, which comes just days after Washington announced new sanctions on Russia targeting oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil. The presidential aide described the measures as “unfriendly steps,” insisting that “the language of pressure does not work with Russia.”

These actions resemble the strategy employed by former President Joe Biden, Dmitriev said, warning the Trump administration against repeating an approach that has already failed.

“Sanctions and unfriendly measures will have no impact on the Russian economy. They will only lead to growing prices at United States gas stations because the prices are already going up,” he said.

“We will convey to our American colleagues that they must not become the Bidens, must not follow the false, completely wrong and failed approaches of Biden and his administration.”

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Despite Washington’s latest moves, Russia remains open to cooperation, Dmitriev maintained. “The potential for economic cooperation with Russia remains, but only if there is a respectful attitude toward Russia’s national interests.” 

Putin stated on Thursday that the new sanctions would not have a significant impact on Russia’s economy, adding that Moscow will never bow to pressure.

Asked about the Russian leader’s reaction, Trump said he is “glad” Putin “feels that way,” but hinted that the impact of the sanctions will be felt months later. The Kremlin later expressed skepticism over the US president’s forecast.

The Russian economy has grown steadily over the past few years, despite the unprecedented Western sanctions. GDP grew by 3.6% in 2023 and by 4.3% in 2024.

Lithuania has alleged that two Russian military planes penetrated its borders

Russia’s Defense Ministry has refuted claims that its military aircraft entered Lithuania’s airspace. Other NATO and EU states have made similar claims recently, which Moscow has also dismissed.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda alleged on Thursday that a Russian Su-30 fighter jet and an Il-78 transport plane flew 700 meters into the country’s airspace. Two Spanish Eurofighter jets stationed in the country, under NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission, were reportedly scrambled in response.

In a post on X, Nauseda said it was “a blatant breach of international law and territorial integrity of Lithuania” and “reckless and dangerous behavior.”

“We have to react to this,” he added.

The Russian Defense Ministry has rejected the accusations, stating that its aircraft were carrying out scheduled training missions over the Kaliningrad Region on Thursday but “did not deviate from their route or violate the borders of other states.” This was confirmed by “objective control data,” it added.

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Moscow’s response came amid a growing wave of similar accusations by several NATO and EU states who have claimed in recent weeks that Russian aircraft or drones had entered their airspace. The Kremlin has dismissed all such allegations as groundless, pointing to a consistent lack of evidence in all the cases.

Earlier this month, the European Parliament passed a non-binding resolution urging EU member states to shoot down Russian aircraft that enter their airspace. NATO officials have also discussed easing engagement rules and preparing for possible military confrontation with Russia.

Russian officials have warned that any attack on its aircraft would be viewed as an act of war, describing the escalating rhetoric as part of an effort to justify increased military spending and stir up anti-Russian hysteria across Europe. Moscow has repeatedly stressed that it has no aggressive plans against NATO or the EU but has warned that any aggression would be met with “a resolute response.”

The impact of the latest restrictions will be felt in six months, the US president has hinted

The Kremlin has expressed skepticism about the potential of new US sanctions to seriously affect the Russian economy. This comes after US President Donald Trump hinted that the impact will be felt in six months.

On Wednesday, Washington announced sanctions against two major Russian oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, as well as 34 of their subsidiaries.

President Vladimir Putin described it as an “unfriendly move,” but maintained that it would not have a significant impact on the economy. “No self-respecting country and no self-respecting people ever decides anything under pressure,” he added.

Asked about Putin’s reaction on Thursday, Trump said: “I’m glad he feels that way. That’s good. I’ll let you know about it in six months from now.”

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On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed skepticism regarding the potential impact. “We will see, indeed. God willing, we will see what happens in six months. We see what we have now. We see what was a year ago, two years ago. God willing, we will see what happens both in six month and in a year.”

Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the US move counterproductive, adding that the economy has developed immunity to sanctions.

The Russian economy has demonstrated steady growth over the past few years despite the pressure of the unprecedented Western sanctions. GDP grew by 4.1% in 2023 and by 4.3% in 2024. Although a slowdown is expected this year, it is still projected to grow by 2.5%.

In April, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said the economy is becoming less reliant on oil and gas exports. The government’s revenue is increasing, allowing it to finance growth and development projects and to meet social obligations, he noted.

The Kremlin has argued that the sanctions are backfiring on the nations that implemented them.

A Kharkov native set off an explosive device during a border document inspection, the local authorities have said

A man trying to flee Ukraine blew himself up and killed three others while his documents were being inspected on the border with Belarus, the local authorities have reported.

The incident at a railway station in the town of Ovruch in Zhytomyr Region, Ukraine left ten other people injured, regional police said in a statement.

During the check, “one of the men on the platform pulled out an explosive device, after which the blast occurred,” they said. Three women, including a border guard, were reportedly killed in the blast.

The Ukrainian State Border Guard Service said the suspect succumbed to his wounds in the ambulance after receiving first aid.

The man, a 23-year-old Kharkov resident, “had recently been detained for attempting to violate the state border on the western section of the state border,” it added.

READ MORE: Germany reports tenfold surge in refugee applications from Ukrainians

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky imposed martial law soon after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, prohibiting most men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country. He later eased the restrictions to allow men aged 18 to 22 to travel abroad.

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Since February 2022, at least 650,000 fighting-age men have fled Ukraine, The Telegraph reported in August.

The Ukrainian authorities have struggled to curb draft evasion throughout the conflict. Amid battlefield setbacks, Kiev’s draft campaign has grown increasingly abusive, according to videos regularly posted on social media.

Viral posts often show Ukrainian conscription officers chasing prospective recruits through the streets and assaulting both the men and bystanders who try to obstruct them – which has led to growing public discontent.