Since the beginning of the day, 97 combat engagements have taken place on the frontline. The most intense fighting occurred in the Pokrovsk direction, where the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled 27 enemy attacks,

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced via Telegram that 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died on the battlefield.

The agreement is focused more on trade than military issues, but it will bring two countries with a shared desire to challenge the West closer together.

Russia signed a strategic partnership treaty with Iran on Friday that follows similar pacts with China and North Korea. All three countries are adversaries of the United States, and Russia has used its ties with them to help blunt the impact of Western sanctions and boost its war effort in Ukraine.

The presidents of Russia and Iran have held talks in the Kremlin on Friday before the signing of a broad cooperation pact between the two countries