Putin Replaces Governors of Bryansk and Belgorod Amid Escalating Border Attacks

Russian President Vladimir Putin has replaced the governors of the border regions of Bryansk and Belgorod, which have faced intense Ukrainian retaliatory attacks. The Kremlin announced that Alexander Bogomas and Vyacheslav Gladkov were removed from their posts. They were succeeded by interim appointees with military or occupation administration backgrounds: General Alexander Shuvayev for Belgorod and Yegor Kovalchuk for Bryansk. Simultaneously, Moscow imposed strict bans on publishing photos or videos of the aftermath of so-called terrorist attacks to control information flow, with significant fines for violations. On the battlefield, Ukraine reported eight deaths following a massive Russian drone assault targeting critical infrastructure in western Ukraine, prompting Poland to deploy fighter jets as a precaution. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that over 800 drones were involved in the attack, aimed at overwhelming air defenses. He also called on US President Donald Trump to address the war's end during his upcoming meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar indicated that Foreign Minister Anita Orban would press Russia on ending the conflict.