Key events of the Russia-Ukraine war: Day 1,077

Fighting

• In the Kharkiv region of Ukraine, five people, including a teenager, were killed, and at least 55 others injured in a Russian strike in the city of Izyum. Additionally, two fatalities occurred in southern Ukraine due to Russian shelling, with one person killed in Dnipro and another in Kherson.
• A Ukrainian drone attack on a school bus in the Russian-controlled Zaporizhia region left six people, including five children, injured. Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson accused international aid organizations of attempting to cover up the incident.
• Kyiv's military claimed to have shot down 37 of 65 Russian drones launched at Ukraine during the night. The attack caused damage to businesses, a railway depot, and residential areas.
• Ukraine’s military also reported a significant strike on a Russian military command post in Kursk, killing a large number of Russian soldiers and inflicting considerable damage on the facility.
• The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, expressed concern over the potential for nuclear accidents in Ukraine, either due to direct attacks on nuclear plants or from disruptions in the power supply.

Humanitarian Efforts

• Kyiv’s Coordination Centre for Prisoner of War Treatment reported an unprecedented number of requests from relatives of soldiers serving in Moscow’s army, receiving 8,548 inquiries last month alone.

Politics and Diplomacy

• Former US President Donald Trump stated that the war would not have occurred if he had been in office, adding that the US was handling the situation with Russia and Ukraine “very successfully.”
• A Russian spokesperson responded to Trump’s comments about Ukraine’s rare earths in exchange for aid, suggesting that the US was no longer willing to provide Kyiv with free aid.
• Germany’s top general, Carsten Breuer, warned that Russia could test NATO’s defense capabilities and possibly attack a European country within the next four years, calling the situation “extremely serious.”
• Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that his team was in discussions with senior US officials, including National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, about a possible visit to Kyiv. He also expressed openness to US companies investing in the supply of rare earths to the US in exchange for aid.
• Zelenskyy emphasized the need for nuclear weapons as an alternative to NATO membership for Ukraine. He stated that 45,100 Ukrainians had been killed in the conflict, with 390,000 injured. The number of Russian casualties was estimated at 350,000 killed and between 600,000 to 700,000 wounded, with many others missing in action.
• Zelenskyy mentioned that he would be open to negotiating with Russian President Vladimir Putin if it would help secure peace in Ukraine without further loss of life. However, he insisted that Europe must be involved in such talks.
• The EU announced that it had established legal groundwork for a special tribunal, which would hold Russian political and military leaders accountable when it becomes operational.