The Russian Ministry of Defense announced Monday that its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 15 Ukrainian drones overnight in two separate areas: 10 over the Kursk Oblast, which borders Ukraine, and five over the Sea of Azov in southern Russia.

The statement, carried by the TASS news agency, noted the drones were neutralized by on-duty air defense units.

Separately, the governor of Belgorod Oblast, Vyacheslav Gladkov, reported that Ukrainian forces targeted seven districts in the region over the past 24 hours, using 54 drones and firing more than 60 shells.

Russian Forces Claim Gains in Dnipropetrovsk

On the battlefield, Russian state media and pro-Moscow military bloggers reported that Russian forces have captured the village of Dazhnoye in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region—marking the first village taken by Moscow in the area. The Russian RIA news agency cited Vladimir Rogov, a pro-Russian official, who confirmed the capture.

This comes as Russian troops have seized approximately 950 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory over the past two months, according to the Deep State Ukraine mapping project. Their data shows Russia now controls 113,588 square kilometers of Ukraine.

Peace Talks Remain Elusive Amid Territorial Gains

Despite Russia’s declared willingness to pursue peace, the Kremlin maintains that Ukraine must withdraw from all four regions it claims as Russian territory. These include large parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, most of which are currently under Moscow's control.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said these territories are now part of the Russian Federation, a claim rejected by Ukraine and its Western allies. Ukrainian officials argue that Russia's terms amount to a demand for surrender and insist they will never accept the loss of nearly one-fifth of their territory.

Russian forces also hold Crimea, annexed in 2014, along with over 99% of Luhansk and more than 70% of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. Parts of the Kharkiv, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk regions remain contested.