Russia's Defense Ministry reported on Sunday that its forces had taken control of two more settlements in the past 24 hours in the Donetsk region.
The ministry also said it continued to strike Ukrainian ports and vessels, including facilities for loading, unloading, and storing fuel and military supplies at the ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk.
In a statement released late Sunday, the ministry said that its air defense forces had intercepted and shot down 285 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions between 8:00 and 20:00 Moscow time.
The drones were downed over the Belgorod, Kursk, Bryansk, Tula, Lipetsk, Ryazan, Oryol, Kaluga regions, and the Moscow area, the ministry said.
It also reported that Russian forces had carried out airstrikes on a thermal power plant and seven electrical substations in Ukraine, and struck a natural gas field infrastructure in Sumy Oblast with drones.
Meanwhile, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on Sunday that 231 combat engagements took place along the front lines over the past day, with Ukrainian forces repelling Russian attacks in multiple directions.
It also said that Ukrainian air, missile, and artillery units struck eight Russian troop concentrations, four artillery systems, and four drone command posts.
Russia claims control of 2 more settlements, Ukraine affirms repelling attacks
China has continued to strengthen its capacity to ensure energy and resource security, according to the Global Mining Development Report 2026 released by the China Geological Survey under the Ministry of Natural Resources on Friday.
The report indicates that since China launched a new round of strategic actions for mineral exploration in 2021, the exploration of strategic emerging minerals has achieved leapfrog development, and the country's capacity for independent resource supply has been significantly enhanced.
According to the report, China's new round of strategic actions for mineral exploration has produced remarkable results, with mineral resource reserves growing substantially. China currently ranks the first in the world in reserves of 14 minerals and has achieved three-dimensional expansion in oil and gas exploration, with deep-layer and deep-sea areas becoming new growth points.
Meanwhile, China's scale of mineral product production and smelting and processing remains the world's largest, and its leading position in the industrial chain has been continuously consolidated. In the smelting and processing sector in particular, the output of more than 30 metallurgical products ranks the first in the world, and the output of 17 mineral products accounts for about 50 percent of global mineral product output. This signifies that China is not only a major mineral resource producer, but also a supply leader and important driver in the global smelting and processing industry.
In addition, the scale of China's mining economy and its role in driving employment have continued to strengthen, providing strong support for socioeconomic development. As of April 2026, China had boasted 12,600 exploration rights and 30,400 mining rights, along with 55,000 mining enterprises and 834,000 smelting and processing enterprises. The mining industry and its related sectors have become an important pillar of regional economic development and people's livelihoods and employment.
"China has actively contributed its strength to global mining transformation. China has signed memorandums of understanding on geological and mining cooperation with more than 70 other countries, and technologies and equipment such as autonomous mining trucks, mining large models, and tailings resource recovery have been deployed globally," said Zou Xiehua, chief drafter of the Global Mining Development Report 2026.
China continues to strengthen energy, resource security capacity: global mining report
