Russia claims multi-directional advancements against Ukraine, Ukraine reports massive drone interception

Russia said on Friday that its armed forces had carried out strikes on Ukrainian military-industrial sites, energy facilities, transport infrastructure, and armories over the past week, while Ukraine on the same day reported intercepting more than 500 drones and destroying Russian weapons.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said in Friday's report that its forces had advanced in Sumy, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia in a week, and has taken control of eight settlements.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine said on Saturday that Russian armed forces had targeted the country's Ukrainian energy system, triggering power outages in Kiev City, Kiev Oblast, and Chernihiv Oblast.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on Friday that 121 combat engagements had taken place along the front lines in the day. Ukrainian forces have struck Russian troop assembly areas and other objectives, destroying Russian tanks, armored vehicles, artillery, and other military equipment while intercepting over 500 Russian drones, according to the announcement.

On diplomatic developments, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Friday that the 20-point peace plan that Kiev is reportedly proposing differs significantly from the one that Moscow and Washington are working on. He stressed that Moscow remains committed to the negotiating framework agreed upon during meetings between the leaders of Russia and the United States.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the same day that Russia hopes talks with Washington on Ukraine can deliver concrete outcomes, but Moscow is not prepared to compromise on its core positions.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that he plans to meet U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday in Florida. According to Zelensky, the talks will focus on security guarantees for Ukraine as well as several "sensitive" issues.

Russia claims multi-directional advancements against Ukraine, Ukraine reports massive drone interception

Chinese lawmakers on Saturday voted to adopt a revision to the Foreign Trade Law.

The revised law, which was passed at a session of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, will take effect on March 1, 2026.

The revised law incorporates provisions on safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, while highlighting that China's foreign trade shall serve the national economic and social development.

In implementing related reform measures, the revision adds provisions on advancing China's efforts to actively align with high-standard international economic and trade rules, and to participate in the formulation of international economic and trade regulations.

To further optimize the development environment for foreign trade, the revised law clarifies that China will strengthen intellectual property protection related to foreign trade and enhance the compliance and risk response capabilities of foreign trade operators regarding intellectual property rights.

The revision also enriches and improves China's legal toolkit on struggles in foreign trade arena, and supplements and refines corresponding countermeasures.

China's Foreign Trade Law took effect in 1994 and was revised for the first time in 2004. The newly revised law now consists of 11 chapters.

China adopts revised Foreign Trade Law