The morning began with reports of drone interceptions over Moscow, initially counted at 32, then rising to 70 across Russian regions by midday. Five people were injured, and 36 planes diverted to alternative airports. The scale marks the largest drone operation targeting Moscow since the war began.
Putin's ratification of a North Korean partnership treaty continued the previous days' pattern of strengthening ties with non-Western allies. The Washington Post's evening report of an alleged Trump-Putin phone call dominated late coverage, though Trump's team hadn't confirmed it. This followed earlier reports of Biden planning to personally convince Trump to maintain Ukraine support.
The New York Times revealed Russian preparations for a Kursk offensive, reportedly involving 50,000 troops, including North Korean forces, while US intelligence expressed pessimism about Ukraine's military prospects.