National Security and Defense Council

North Korean forces have engaged in their first battle with the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region. This information was shared by Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, via Telegram. He noted that North Korean military personnel have already come under fire but did not provide additional specifics.

Nine people, including an 11-year-old girl, were injured last night in a Russian drone attack on Kyiv. Debris from a destroyed drone ignited a fire in a multi-story residential building in the western part of the city, Kyiv's mayor, Vitaly Klitschko, announced on Telegram.

The former adviser to the Office of the President of Ukraine, Oleksii Arestovych, issued severe criticism of President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he blamed personally for the failure of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

"We can never give up on the Hungarians living there and our abducted territories," he tells BIRN, advocating a stealthy approach, "just gently, carefully, diplomatically, step by step", for a revanchist policy that would, if put in practice, represent a major geopolitical shock in Eastern Europe.

The Ukrainian capital Kyiv dawned in complete silence after a long and sleepless night. Intense fighting broke out and dozens of explosions erupted in the city in the dark hours of street clashes, including near government buildings.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Culture wants the interior minister and the National Security and Defense Council to prevent a concert by Emir Kusturica's band.

Caretaker Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov has discussed with Ukrainian Ambassador to Bulgaria Mykola Baltazhy the set of sanctions Ukraine intends to impose on Russia.

Mitov argued that it was best for Ukraine to refrain from sudden moves and coordinate the measures it seeks to introduce with its European partners.

Ukrainian troops in Crimea have been ordered to withdraw, the country's interim President said on Monday.

Russian threats to the lives of military staff and their families stand behind the decision, as Oleksandr Turchynov was quoted by the BBC as saying.