“Russia is unstable”: Putin is struggling with declining approval shortly before the Russia election. “The invasion of southern Russia is powerful evidence that Putin's ability to maintain control over Russia is far more uncertain than Putin would have us believe,” expert Jayson Jay Smart said.
The pro-Ukrainian Freedom for Russia Legion announced that it would fight in Russia. The Legion later claimed that Tyotkino in the Kursk region had been captured. The separatist attack coincides with several nightly drone attacks by Ukraine across six regions.