Russian forces are likely to abandon their positions on the west bank of the Dnieper, Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russian occupation authority in the Kherson region, told Reuters in an interview. He explained to the pro-Kremlin media "Solovyov Live" that the Russian units would probably withdraw to the eastern coast. So far, there is no official reaction from Kyiv, but if the message is confirmed, it will be the most humiliating Russian withdrawal since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, commented Reuters. Russia has been fighting for months to retain control of territory west of the Dnieper, where it has sent tens of thousands of troops as reinforcements. This zone includes Kherson, the only Russian-occupied major city in Ukraine, as well as a dam on the river that supplies water to the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed in 2014.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has found no signs of undeclared activities in the nuclear field, Reuters reported. The inspection of three suspicious sites according to Moscow was made in response to accusations that Kyiv is developing the so-called dirty bomb – a conventional explosive combined with radioactive material.

Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the test of an intercontinental ballistic missile launched from the nuclear submarine "Generalissimus Suvorov" was successful, reported AFP. The missile, which is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and is expected to enter service with the combat fleet soon, was launched from the North Sea and struck the intended target at a test site on the Kamchatka Peninsula.