After a year of Russian advances, the goal for 2026 is simply to survive, said one officer in eastern Ukraine. “It’s hard to make any plans,” he said.

At least one person has been killed and five others injured in Russia’s shelling of the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk in the Kyiv-controlled parts of the war-torn Donetsk region, according to the head of the region’s military administration.

General Staff says decision to pull back from town follows intense fighting against Russian troops with significant manpower advantage - Anadolu Ajansı

The agreement to withdraw forces on both sides from the region, which still needs approval from Russia, would be a significant victory for President Donald Trump, whose administration drafted a 28-point plan for peace in Europe last month.

Olena Kuzmivna, a 76-year-old mushroom forager from Izyum, Ukraine, has not been able to go foraging for mushrooms since 2022 due to the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, which has resulted in widespread landmines and civilian casualties.

The Russian invading army has completed its occupation of the city of 10,000 inhabitants, which had held out for three and a half years. The eastern flank of the last conurbation in the Donbas that is still under Ukrainian control now seems exposed.

Ukraine’s president has floated a possible compromise to a key Russian demand that Kyiv give up territory in eastern Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s proposal could address one of the main sticking points that have bogged down U.

Off the battlefield, each side is trying to influence President Trump’s perception of the military conflict as they look to negotiate a peace settlement in their favor.

Russia's foreign minister said Ukraine had attacked the Russian president's state residence with drones, while Kyiv called the accusation a lie.