Russia said on Thursday that its forces had captured one more settlement in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, while Ukraine, on the same day, reported grim situation in the frontlines, particularly in the Pokrovsk direction. In its daily combat report, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the Russian troops took control of the Bratske settlement in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region.
The Russian forces continued offensive operations across multiple frontlines, including Sumy, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia, striking on energy and port facilities used by the Ukrainian army, drone assembly and storage sites, and temporary deployment points for Ukrainian troops and foreign mercenaries, the ministry said.
Also on Thursday, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi said that the Pokrovsk direction remains the most critical sector of the frontlines, with around 50 combat engagements occurring daily.
Despite intense pressure, Syrskyi emphasized that the Ukrainian forces retained control over areas in northern Pokrovsk.
He also warned that the Russian forces were reinforcing their positions with reserve units and actively seeking opportunities to advance further along the frontline in Pokrovsk.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that a document on U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine is being prepared for finalization at the highest level.
After a conversation with Ukraine's top peace negotiator Rustem Umerov on the results of the peace talks in France, Zelensky said in a post on X that the Ukrainian delegation discussed documents related to recovery and economic development with the U.S. and European partners, as well as the basic framework for ending the conflict.
The U.S. side will engage with Russia, and Ukraine expects feedback, he added.
The Ukrainian negotiation team on Wednesday held talks with national security advisors from several European countries, White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law. The discussions focused on ways to end the conflict and provide security guarantees for Ukraine.
Russia captures one more settlement in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine reports grim situation in frontlines
China's two major power grid operators -- the State Grid Corporation of China (State Grid) and China Southern Power Grid (CSG) -- reported a surge in investment in the first quarter of 2026, underscoring efforts to strengthen infrastructure construction and support high-quality socioeconomic development in China.
The State Grid said it completed fixed-asset investment worth 129 billion yuan (about 18.77 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three months of this year, up 37 percent the corresponding period of the previous year. The spending has driven more than 250 billion yuan (36 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across the wider industrial chain.
Key projects such as the Panxi ultra-high-voltage (UHV) alternating current (AC) line and the Anhui-Hubei back-to-back direct current (DC) project have seen ground broken for their construction, while several west-to-east power transmission projects have been upgraded.
Investment in connecting renewable energy generation to the grid was reported to have exceeded 10 billion yuan (1.45 billion U.S. dollars) from January to March, a year-on-year rise of more than 50 percent.
The CSG also reported robust growth in investment in the three-month period, with fixed-asset investment reaching 38.45 billion yuan (5.58 billion U.S. dollars), up about 50 percent from a year earlier.
Among its achievements, the company completed and commissioned 80 key projects, including the 220 kV cross-sea power grid interconnection project, which was officially put into operation on March 20. The project ended years of grid isolation on the Weizhou Island in south China by linking it to the main power system of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The construction of 17 other major energy projects, including one linking the power grid of the Xizang Autonomous Region in southwest China with that of Guangdong Province in south China, is advancing rapidly. These projects are expected to bolster regional industries, the maritime economy, digital collaboration and the transition to green energy.
"By accelerating major project construction, investment during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) is expected to approach 1 trillion yuan (145 billion U.S. dollars), driving a further 2 trillion yuan (290 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across upstream and downstream industries," said Dong Yanle, deputy general manager of the Engineering Construction Department under the China Southern Power Grid.
China ramps up power grid investment in January-March to boost growth
