The second phase of the historic prisoner exchange dominated Russian media, with 307 Russian servicemen returning from Ukrainian captivity, completing another portion of the "1000-for-1000" swap negotiated in Istanbul. The Defense Ministry released footage of the returning soldiers landing in Moscow.
Overnight, Russia claimed to have intercepted 94 Ukrainian drones across six regions, with numbers rising to 95 by evening. Moscow itself faced drone attacks, with Mayor Sobyanin reporting multiple interceptions throughout the day.
Military operations continued with Russian forces reportedly liberating three settlements in Donetsk and Sumy regions. The Defense Ministry claimed strikes on Kyiv's Antonov factory and a vessel carrying military cargo in Odessa port using Iskander missiles.
Economic pressure mounted as Bloomberg reported the EU is preparing to disconnect 20 more Russian banks from SWIFT in new sanctions.
In sports news, FC Krasnodar won its first-ever Russian football championship.