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A photo of the "Legion of Free Russia" taken by a drone is supposed to show the destruction of a military target

Photo: Freedom of Russia Legion / REUTERS

This article will be updated on an ongoing basis.

China: Russia and Ukraine keep the door open for negotiations

11:03 a.m.: Ukraine and Russia, according to information from China, do not rule out the possibility of peace negotiations. He believes that neither party to the conflict "has firmly closed the door to negotiations," says Li Hui, the Chinese government's special envoy for Eurasian affairs. However, it is still very difficult to persuade both sides to negotiate.

The Russian side appreciates China's efforts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis peacefully, Li said. However, the risk of an escalation of the war is still high. Li calls on both sides to help ease the situation and ensure the safety of nuclear facilities. Li used to be China's ambassador to Russia for years. Beijing has not condemned Russia's attack, which violates international law, and is considered a close partner of Moscow. China's attempt to mediate in the conflict is viewed skeptically in the West.

Apparently two dead from shelling in Russian border region of Belgorod

10.35 a.m.: In the Russian border region of Belgorod, fighting is apparently still going on or again. According to the governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, two women were killed as a result of Ukrainian shelling, whose car was hit by fragments of missiles.

The armed militia "Legion of Free Russia", which is fighting against Moscow together with the "Russian Volunteer Corps", has claimed in a statement that the Russian side had killed two civilians whom it mistakenly believed to be fighters of the Legion. Both claims are not independently verifiable.

Yesterday, the Russian army said it had repelled an attempted "invasion" by Ukrainian units in the Belgorod region, south of Kursk. However, the "Russian Volunteer Corps" and the "Legion of Free Russia" claimed responsibility for the action. The latter said in a statement today that the fighting would continue. The Legion would have wounded, but freedom would be bought with blood.

Russia reports more drone strikes

9:29 a.m.: The Russian region of Smolensk in the west of the country has been attacked by two long-range drones, according to the governor. Two places near the city of the same name were attacked during the night, the governor said. The target of the drones was energy and fuel infrastructure. There were no fires, no one was injured. The Smolensk region borders Belarus to the west. The border with Ukraine is about 270 kilometers to the south. The claims cannot be independently confirmed.

Protecting borders or strengthening the front line? London sees Moscow in a dilemma

8:42 a.m.: The repeated attacks by Russian nationalists on the border region of Belgorod pose a dilemma for Moscow, according to British intelligence. Army commanders must now decide "whether to strengthen defenses in Russia's border regions or expand their lines in occupied Ukraine," according to London's daily intelligence update.

Although Russia probably repelled yesterday's attack on Belgorod faster than the previous one almost a week and a half earlier, according to a press release from the Russian Defense Ministry, it "used the full range of military firepower" to repel the attack.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Thursday that attacks on the Belgorod border region had been repelled. Ukrainian forces tried to advance into the region and carry out a terrorist attack, it said. The military prevented a border violation and "destroyed" more than 30 "terrorists" and armored vehicles in the Ukrainian border area.

The "Russian Volunteer Corps" and the "Legion of Free Russia" had previously announced the beginning of the second phase of the "liberation" of the Belgorod region and stated that they had advanced as far as the border town of Shebekino. Tanks are also said to have been used.

Bryansk reports Ukrainian shelling

08:29 a.m.: Two communities near the border in the western Russian region of Bryansk have been shelled by the Ukrainian military, according to Russian sources. No one was injured, according to Governor Alexander Bogomas. The information could not be independently verified.

Air raid alert throughout Ukraine, Swiss parliament votes against arms transfer

8.20 a.m.: Another wave of Russian attacks is directed against Kyiv. Switzerland does not want to have weapons supplied to Ukraine. And: NATO air force exercise over Germany. These are the latest developments in the morning.

svs/AFP/dpa/Reuters