Russian forces from the 51st Airborne Regiment are continuing their offensive in the western part of the Kursk salient and completed the capture of Sverdlikovo.

They advanced from positions in the eastern part of the village, and cleared out the remaining Ukrainian positions in the basements of the houses in the southwestern-most part of the settlement.

They then went on to capture a small forested area near the international border, before conducting attacks to the east of Sverdlikovo. These attacks came from two directions: the northwest and southwest. In the northwest, Russian forces advanced down the Korenevo - Sudzha highway, and captured positions in the small treeline perpendicular to the highway.

In the southwest, after capturing the small forest, Russian forces advanced across the fields and captured the other small treeline, this one being perpendicular to the international border.

This creates a small buffer-zone east of Sverdlikovo, further strengthens Russia's bridgehead on the eastern bank of the Loknya River, and lays the groundworks for a future assault to the south of the village of Lebedevka.

There are already some reports of clashes inside Lebedevka, after Russian forces apparently entered the western part of the village, however this remains unconfirmed at the moment.

+ ~2.51km² in favour of Russia.

Ukrainian forces counterattacked in western Donetsk Oblast, recapturing treeline positions near Preobrazhenka.

After Russian forces advanced to the northern outskirts of Preobrazhenka, Ukrainian forces - who had brought in new reserves - began counterattacking.

They were able to advance from positions in the orchards southwest of Nadiivka, and captured two treelines, therefore pushing another one out of the grey zone. This also means that Preobrazhenka is entirely under Ukrainian control, with the eastern houses also no longer being in the grey zone.

While it may look like Ukraine could flank the village of Zaporizhzhya from the north, they likely don't have the manpower necessary to do so, with this counterattack mainly aimed at stemming the Russian advance towards the border with Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

Additionally, the frontline was corrected in Nadiivka, where it turns out that Ukrainian forces retain positions in the agricultural buildings on the northwestern outskirts of the village, despite reports by some Russian sources to the contrary.

+ ~5.86km² in favour of Ukraine.

Russian forces continued their advance in the Bahatyr direction, capturing the village of Ulaky, and making new progress northwest of Andriivka.

Once Ukrainian forces withdrew from northern Ulaky, Russian forces completed the capture of the village. This will make attacks on Kostyantynopil easier, assuming they can cross the large expanse of fields between Kostyantynopil and Ulaky.

Meanwhile, Russian forces marginally advanced northwest of Andriivka, capturing new positions in a treeline and a parallel forest plantation, reaching the western end of both of these.

+ ~6.77km² in favour of Russia.

In the Komar direction, Russian forces continued their advance, capturing the village of Novoocheretuvate.

Following the establishment of a foothold in the southeastern houses of the village, Russian forces began rapidly expanding their bridgehead on the western bank of the Mokri Yaly River, expanding their zone of control to include the entirety of Novoocheretuvate.

Meanwhile, Russian forces made a small advance west of Velyka Novosilka, where they captured a treeline on the tactical heights.

+ ~2.89km² in favour of Russia.

In the Komar direction, Russian forces made a small advance, capturing the village of Novosilka.

After establishing a foothold in the first houses of Novosilka, Russian forces slowly cleared out the rest of the houses, where Ukrainian soldiers were holding positions in the basements. This resulted in the capture of the village, and the formation of a large grey zone in the open fields and swamps near the village. This will make future advances from Novosilka in these directions difficult for Russia.

+ ~0.67km² in favour of Russia.

Swedish Police report that another cable has been cut in the Baltic Sea. The alleged damaged cable is C-LION1, which runs between Finland and Germany, but the cut was recorded in Sweden's exclusive economic zone, off the coast of the island of Gotland.

The preliminary investigation has been classified as sabotage.

Heavy fighting continues on the northern front in eastern DR Congo, with M23 rebels making significant progress over the past 48 hours.

After advancing along the N2 highway and capturing the town of Bikara, M23 began attacking to the northwest, where they secured the town of Kipese.

There are now unconfirmed reports from locals stating that the Congolese Armed Forces (FADRC) have begun withdrawing from the key city of Lubero, however Ugandan soldiers are currently stationed on the city's outskirts.

Satellite imagery shows that there are currently 16 Tu-95MS strategic bombers stationed near Ukraine.

This includes:
9 at Olenya Air Base in Murmansk Oblast
4 at Engels-2 Air Base in Saratov Oblast
3 at Diaghilev Air Base in Ryazan Oblast

🇸🇦🇵🇸⚡- Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman holds an informal emergency Arab meeting on Gaza today, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Several heads of Arab states were invited, but the Palestinian Authority President was not.

🇺🇸🇸🇴 Puntland confirms that the United States carried out airstrikes against ISIS hideouts in the Bari region today.

@TabZLIVE

South African president Cyril Ramaphosa stated that he intends to host Zelensky in South Africa for a state visit soon.

“We both agreed on the urgent need for an inclusive peace process that involves all parties in finding a resolution to the conflict and securing a lasting peace,” he said.

He also reiterated his stance on a supporting peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

The European Union (EU) has summoned the Rwandan Ambassador to the EU over the current M23 offensive in eastern DR Congo.

According to a spokesperson from the European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU "strongly condemns this offensive".