Vadym Skibitskyi of the Chief Intelligence Directorate stated that preparations for the so-called referendums in occupied Ukrainian territories are almost complete, with election headquarters and candidate lists already established.

Election headquarters, operational staffs, and electoral committees have been created, and lists of candidates composed for the referendums.

Russia returned the bodies of 541 fallen Ukrainian soldiers to Ukraine.

Oleg Kotenko stated that 428 bodies were brought from Mariupol, with more than 300 being defenders of Azovstal.

The International Committee of the Red Cross mediated the talks regarding the return of bodies.

British intelligence explains the increased intensity of Russian attacks in the Donetsk direction over the past five days as a reaction to fears of a large-scale Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Yale University study discovered 21 infiltration camps in occupied Donetsk region where Russians and LDPR fighters hold captives.

Conditions in these camps, including torture and inhuman treatment, may be considered violations of international humanitarian law.