Ukraine’s president was involved in a traffic accident in Kyiv, but he is not seriously hurt, his spokesperson said. Serhii Nykyforov, who did not say when the accident occurred, said Volodymyr Zelensky’s car had collided with a private vehicle. “The president was examined by a doctor, no serious injuries were found”, - he said, adding the accident would be investigated.

In his nightly address, Volodymyr Zelensky said he had just returned from the area around Kharkiv, adding that “almost the entire region is de-occupied” after a lightning counteroffensive to dislodge Russian troops: “It was an unprecedented movement of our soldiers – the Ukrainians once again managed to do what many thought was impossible”. After visiting the liberated city of Izium, Zelensky said Ukraine’s troops had recaptured around 8,000 sq km of territory.

Germany has delivered four more Gepard anti-aircraft guns and 65 refrigerators to Ukraine. The four additional units bring the total number of Gepard units provided by Germany to Ukraine to 24.

Kremlin sources “are now working to clear Vladimir Putin of any responsibly of the defeat, instead blaming the loss of almost all of occupied Kharkiv oblast on under-informed military advisers”, according to the Institute of the Study of War. In a statement reported by CNBC, the institute said that “Kremlin officials and state media propagandists are extensively discussing the reasons for the Russian defeat in Kharkiv oblast, a marked change from their previous pattern of reporting on exaggerated or fabricated Russian successes with limited detail”.

The prospects for peace in Ukraine are currently “minimal”, the UN secretary general said after a phone conversation with Vladimir Putin: “I have the feeling we are still far away from peace. I would be lying if I would say it could happen soon. I have no illusion; at the present moment the chances of a peace deal are minimal”.

Eight Russian missiles that struck Kryvyi Rih were directed at hydraulic structures, causing enough damage that the water level of the Inhulets river was rising and posing a serious threat to the city. This aligns with Ukraine’s concerns that Russia will continue to target Ukraine’s infrastructure in retribution for its success in regaining occupied territory. Kryvyi Rih is Zelensky’s home town.

Russian troops have returned to Kreminna, a city in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region that was “completely empty” yesterday, said Serhiy Hadai, the region’s governor, and tore down the Ukrainian flags that local partisans had raised in celebration. Yesterday, a similar situation happened in Svatove - Russian troops left but returned after some time, Hadai said.