Ukrainian armed forces

Ukraine's General Staff reports that Ukrainian forces killed and wounded 2,090 Russian soldiers over the past day, which would be one of the higher daily figures of the war. According to the military's updated tally, Russia's total combat losses since the full-scale invasion now stand at 1,531,060 personnel. The figures, issued in the Armed Forces' daily briefing, cannot be independently verified, and Russia rarely discloses its own casualty numbers.

The European Union has decided to extend its EUMAM training mission for the Ukrainian armed forces for a further two years. The mission, launched after Russia's full-scale invasion, has trained tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers across EU member states. The extension signals continued European support for Ukraine's defence despite ongoing uncertainty about the war's course and political shifts within the bloc.

Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's military intelligence, said North Korea is studying the Russian-Ukrainian war and using its lessons to improve and expand its weaponry. The warning adds to concerns that the conflict is becoming a training ground for other armed forces, with Pyongyang already backing Moscow and gaining battlefield experience in return.

Ukraine's Armed Forces are reporting the recapture of 125 square kilometres of territory under what has been called Operation Vivaldi. The claim is circulating as fighting continues along the front, with observers tracking gains and losses in near real time. Details on the location, timing and verification of the reported advance remain limited.

Former Ukrainian defense minister Fedorov has announced a new 'Army of Robots' initiative, his latest move since leaving office. The program signals a push to expand autonomous and robotic systems in Ukraine's armed forces, building on the country's wartime drive to scale up unmanned technology. The announcement drew attention alongside other Ukraine-related news, including appeals over the humanitarian crisis in flooded Oleshky.

Researchers affiliated with the Max Planck Society have published a study tracking Ukrainian scholars through the war and armed conflict, arguing that the fighting has exposed the limits of free scholarly mobility. The work follows how Ukrainian academics have been displaced, disrupted or forced abroad, and highlights the barriers researchers face when conflict prevents the free movement and collaboration academia normally assumes.

President Putin has ordered a fourth expansion of Russia's military this year, raising its authorised strength to 1.55 million troops. The move comes as Ukraine says its forces have recaptured 176 square kilometres of territory in the Donetsk region. The twin developments underline the intensifying war, with Russia pursuing a mass mobilisation of its armed forces while Kyiv claims continued progress on the eastern front.