Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 982

Ukraine war day 982: These are the key developments as the 982nd day of the conflict begins.

Fighting

Russia’s Ministry of Defense stated on Sunday that Russian forces shot down 19 Ukrainian drones last night, 16 of which were over the southern Rostov region and the rest over the Belgorod and Bryansk districts.
Following a suspected Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv heard explosions early on Sunday and saw smoke billowing from residential buildings.
Ukraine war day 982: Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, ordered residents to remain in shelters after stating on the Telegram channel that Ukraine’s air defense troops were attempting to fend off a Russian air strike on the city.
General Oleksandr Syrskii, Ukraine’s senior military commander, has stated that Ukrainian forces are holding back one of Russia’s “most powerful offensives” since the beginning of Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
According to Russian news outlets, which cited the Defense Ministry, Russian troops have captured Kurakhivka and Pershotravneve, two more settlements along the Donbas frontline, on Saturday.

According to Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Ukraine is undermining the prisoner swap procedure and has refused to return its own countrymen. According to her, Ukraine had only taken 279 of the 935 Ukrainian POWs that Russia had promised to turn over.
Ukraine war day 982: Kyiv has refuted the accusations and demanded that Moscow submit a list of Ukrainian POWs who are available for exchange. “We are prepared to trade prisoners of war at any time!” Dmytro Lubinets, the human rights commissioner for Ukraine, posted on Telegram.

In order to prevent World War III, Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s security council and former president from 2008 to 2012, has cautioned the United States to heed Russia’s nuclear warnings. If American and European leaders think “the Russians will never cross a certain line,” Medvedev added, “they are wrong.”
After aiding Russian forces in their attack on Ukrainian troops, a US national who Russia evacuated from eastern Ukraine has stated in Moscow that he has applied for Russian citizenship. For two years, Daniel Martindale provided the Russian military with intelligence regarding the location of critical Ukrainian infrastructure, claiming he was not under any pressure.