Footage of the Russian assault on the village of Zaporozhye in the Donetsk People's Republic by units of the "Center" group of forces.

🔴 The settlement of Zaporozhye in the DPR has been liberated, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

Adding: 

As a result of a missile strike on a temporary deployment point for units of the SBU and special operations forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine, up to 170 Ukrainian militants and foreign mercenaries were destroyed - Russian Defense Ministry

Adding: 

The war in Ukraine must continue to prevent Russia from threatening Estonia and Lithuania, according to the defense ministers of these countries, as reported by the Financial Times.

The ministers argue that a ceasefire in Ukraine would significantly increase the security threat to the Baltic states, as Russia would proceed with plans to rearm and reposition troops along NATO’s northeastern flank.

"We all understand that once the war in Ukraine stops, Russia will quickly redistribute its forces. This means the threat level will rise sharply, and very quickly," Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur told the newspaper.

He added that if the war were to stop, of the 600,000 Russian troops currently in Ukraine, around 300,000 would likely be redeployed to other fronts.

Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Šakalienė echoed similar concerns, stating, "Russia will use this time after a ceasefire to accelerate its military capabilities. They already have a huge, battle-tested army, which will only grow."

Earlier, there was outrage in Ukraine over comments made by the head of German intelligence, Bruno Kahl, suggesting it would benefit Europe if the war in Ukraine dragged on until 2030. 

Adding; then this response from UKR about article: 

Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksiy Goncharenko criticized a Financial Times article claiming that a ceasefire in Ukraine would sharply increase security threats to the Baltic states.

"Once again: enough playing the role of Europe's savior. You have NATO, armies, resources—so go ahead, protect yourselves. We need to save ourselves. End this. We need to rebuild the economy, strengthen the army, and make Ukraine so strong that no one would dare even think about a new attack. We've already paid our price. Enough. Ukraine must shift to a strategic defense, strengthen its economy, and build a powerful defense industry. And Europe, if it fears Russian aggression, let them fight. Some in Europe share this view. Trump isn’t forever. In 3.5 years, a new U.S. president will be elected. Meanwhile, let the Ukrainians hold off this horde. Everything’s fine. But what will be left of us in 3.5 years?" Goncharenko wrote.