Russia Seizes “Shumi” and Nears Key Objective

Yesterday, Russia announced 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 a Ukrainian march targeting a Russian village adjacent to Ukraine claimed the lives of five people, including two children, according to the governor of the Russian Kursk region. Russia and Ukraine also carried out a prisoner exchange that included many priests after exchanging dozens of soldiers earlier in the week.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported that units of the Central Group of Troops liberated the town of Shumi near Toretsk, a major dam on the frontlines. This victory for Russia could lead them to Kostyantynivka and then Kramatorsk, important areas in the region. Residents of Turetsk have reported increased bombing operations by Russia, prompting authorities to urge evacuation.

The Russian Defense Ministry stated that Russian forces destroyed two S-300 air defense systems belonging to Ukrainian forces and targeted 7 Ukrainian brigades. Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian village bordering Ukraine resulted in the deaths of five people, including two children.

In a separate incident, three people were injured by shrapnel as a result of a missile attack on the city of Sevastopol in Crimea. Missiles targeting the city were repelled, but the injured individuals were hospitalized. Russia and Ukraine also conducted a prisoner exchange involving priests, with each country handing over clergy members to the other.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that two Ukrainian Roman Catholic priests who had been held in a Moscow-occupied city were returned to Kiev with the help of the Vatican. On the Russian side, a Ukrainian Orthodox clergy official and two priests were exchanged. The exchange of prisoners comes amidst ongoing conflicts and tensions between the two countries.