Russia, Ukraine renew battle reports

RUSSIA said on Sunday that it had struck Ukrainian energy facilities and other military targets, while Ukraine reported attacks on Russian troop concentrations and military warehouses.

AI Brief

Russia says it intercepted HIMARS rockets, Neptune missiles and drones amid ongoing heavy clashes, especially near Pokrovsk.
Moscow warns Europe against escalating tensions, while Ukraine denies involvement in the shooting of a Russian lieutenant general.
A suspect in the attack on Lt. Gen. Alekseyev was extradited from the UAE, with two others also implicated.

Russia's Defense Ministry said on Sunday that over the past 24 hours, Russian forces had taken control of two settlements and carried out strikes on energy and transport infrastructure supporting Ukrainian troops, as well as temporary deployment sites of Ukrainian forces and foreign mercenaries.

Russian air defense units intercepted 27 HIMARS rockets, three Neptune long-range missiles and 42 fixed-wing drones launched by Ukrainian forces.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on the same day that as of Sunday afternoon, 123 combat engagements had taken place along the front lines, with most of the fighting concentrated in the Pokrovsk direction. Ukrainian forces struck Russian troops assembly areas, military depots and drone control centers on Friday and Saturday.

On diplomatic developments, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview on Sunday that Russia has repeatedly stated that it has no plans to attack Europe, but some European leaders are deliberately escalating tensions.

Lavrov warned that if European countries plan to launch a war and begin attacking Russia, it would respond using all military means.

On the same day, the Russian Investigative Committee announced that a suspect involved in the attack on Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev has been extradited to Russia after being detained in Dubai, the UAE.

The committee identified the suspect as a Russian citizen allegedly acting on instructions from Ukrainian intelligence. According to investigators, the suspect arrived in Moscow last December to prepare for the hit and fled to the UAE hours after the attack occurred. A second suspect has been arrested in Moscow, while a third is believed to have fled to Ukraine.

Ukrinform news agency reported on Saturday that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha denied any Ukrainian involvement in the attack on the Russian Defense Ministry lieutenant general in Moscow.

The Russian Investigative Committee said on Friday that Vladimir Alekseyev was shot earlier that day. Russian media reported that Alekseyev has undergone surgery and is not in life-threatening condition.