— Russian forces have been intensifying their offensive in the Toretsk area, reportedly making territorial gains near Niu-York, Zalizny, and Panteleimonivka.

— The situation remains fluid, with ongoing hostilities as both sides engage in fierce battles for control.

— Toretsk is under relentless assault by Russian forces. The city is largely destroyed, with burned-out cars, craters, and ruined buildings. Ukrainian forces, including the 32nd Mechanized Brigade, are struggling to hold their positions.

— Toretsk is crucial for Ukraine's defense in the east.
If Russia captures Toretsk, it could advance towards Kostiantynivka, a key logistical hub for Ukrainian forces.

— Ukraine faces a shortage of reserves and struggles to train and deploy new soldiers quickly. Russia is exploiting these weaknesses, maintaining a high tempo of offensive operations.

— Ukraine has sent some of its best brigades to stabilize the situation, but they are stretched thin. Soldiers report continuous fighting with no pause for a month.

— The potential fall of Toretsk could force hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee. This would further complicate Ukraine's defense logistics in the east.

— But Russian offensive is expected to begin to decline in about two months.

— Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have expressed conditional willingness to participate.

— An Arab official explained that contributing troops would be seen as "protecting Israel from the Palestinians," which is why Jordan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia are hesitant.

— UAE's involvement is conditional on the initiative being US-led and part of a broader plan for a two-state solution.

— The US is seeking to reinstall the Palestinian Authority (PA) as the ruling authority in Gaza.

— During the recent international prisoner swap, the US released several Russians, including Vladislav Klyushin, a wealthy entrepreneur involved in a significant insider trading scheme.

— Klyushin is a young Russian oligarch who owned a cybersecurity company called M-13 in Moscow. M-13 was a front for Klyushin's real business: hacking American companies and stealing confidential information for insider trading.

— He had connections at the highest levels of the Russian government and worked for President Vladimir Putin's office. Klyushin's operation involved hacking into American companies to steal confidential information. This information was then used to make trades on Wall Street before it became public.

— The main hacker was identified as Ivan Yermakov, a veteran of Russian GRU military intelligence. The scheme targeted iconic American companies like Tesla, Roku, and Skechers. It's described as one of the most damaging insider trading episodes in Wall Street history.

— Klyushin was arrested in Switzerland in early 2021 while traveling to a ski resort. Klyushin was sentenced to nine years in an American prison for his $93 million hack-to-trade conspiracy.

— A former Russian spy claims this operation was part of a larger strategy by Putin to respond to Western sanctions. He suggests Russian intelligence officers are routinely stealing Western financial information for personal profit. The spy claims there are likely more groups like M-13 operating, and that Russian intelligence has moles inside American companies.

“We have a good leader, he is with us, but he is gaining capacity.”

We have managed to detain some people who committed what I call the crime of treason.

We are a sovereign country, we will not be subjugated by any country.

It is a major provocation.

I'll hold meeting today with the heads of security agencies on the situation in the Kursk region.

"Don't touch me, guys, I'm one of yours"