Russia seizes one more settlement in Ukraine's Donetsk, Ukraine repels Russian attacks

Russia claimed on Monday that it had taken control of one more settlement as part of its ongoing offensive in the Donetsk region, while Ukraine, on the same day, reported repelling multiple Russian attacks.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a briefing that over past 24 hours, its forces captured the village of Novoolenovka in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, located about 17 kilometers southwest of the city of Pokrovsk, a key front in Moscow's offensive in the region.

The Russian forces launched attacks on multiple Ukrainian military airfields, military-industrial energy facilities, weapons and ammunition depots, and drone command centers, the ministry said.

Furthermore, the Russian air defense forces intercepted four U.S.-made HIMARS rockets and shot down 65 drones, it said.

Meanwhile, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that as of Monday afternoon, there had been 104 fights on the front lines, the situation remains tense, with Ukrainian forces continuing to repel Russian offensives, resulting in casualties and equipment losses on the Russian side.

According to Ukrainian media reports, Ukrainian forces discovered and destroyed a Russian military command post in the Zaporizhzhia region.

In another development, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Monday on social media that Russia and Ukraine had once again exchanged a group of detained individuals on that day.

The ministry said that after negotiations, 150 Russian soldiers have been returned to Russia from territories controlled by Ukraine. All the exchanged Russian soldiers are currently receiving necessary medical care and psychological counseling in Belarus. They will be transported back to Russia to receive further treatment at Russian military medical facilities.

Also on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram that a total of 189 Ukrainians returned from Russian captivity. Among those released were 187 servicemen, including officers, soldiers and sergeants, along with two civilians.

The freed troops included military personnel who fought for the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the city of Mariupol, and the Snake Island in the Black Sea, Zelensky added.

On Monday, the United States announced that it would provide nearly 2.5 billion U.S. dollars in additional military support to Ukraine.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, since President Joe Biden took office, the total amount of U.S. military support to Ukraine has exceeded 66 billion U.S. dollars. Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, U.S. military assistance to Ukraine has reached 65.4 billion U.S. dollars.

Russia has repeatedly warned that the continuous supply of weapons to Ukraine by Western countries is a provocative act that could escalate the conflict further.

Russia seizes one more settlement in Ukraine's Donetsk, Ukraine repels Russian attacks

To meet the timeline of starting independent customs operations by the end of 2025, the government of south China's Hainan province issued a series of regulations to stipulate import and export management of Free Trade Port (FTP), with two major documents on environmental safety and medicine import put into effect recently.

To further explain the effects and scope of the two documents, the local government held press conferences on Monday and Tuesday.

The "Several Provisions on the Management of Entry Environmental Safety Access in the Hainan Free Trade Port" took effect on Wednesday, which clarified the scopes and responsibilities regarding potential environmental issues of vessels and import products.

"The document regulates the access management of special items such as hazardous waste, remanufactured products, carry-on items of entry personnel, and radioactive materials. Meanwhile, it clarifies that the storage sites for transit goods should meet environmental safety management requirements, to avoid environmental pollution," said Di Weijie, deputy director of the Department of Ecology and Environment of Hainan Province.

In addition, the administrative rule on zero-tariff import of medicines and medical devices in Hainan Free Trade Port was put into effect on Tuesday, stipulating that before Hainan FTP starts independent customs operations, medical institutions, higher medical education institutions, and pharmaceutical research institutes registered in the Hainan's Boao Lecheng Pilot Zone with independent legal status and approved eligibility can import designated pharmaceuticals and medical devices under the zero-tariff policy.

"The scope [of medicines and medical devices imported under 'zero-tariff' policy] consists of two categories: imported pharmaceuticals and medical devices already approved for registration in China, and specially licensed pharmaceuticals and medical devices for the Boao Lecheng Pilot Zone," said Jia Ning, director of Hainan Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone Administration, during the press conference.

With policy supports and related efforts like the Ever Lasting International Innovation Medicine Exhibition held in the Boao Lecheng Pilot Zone, medicine and health care is expected to be a new pillar industry for Hainan.

New regulations clarify environment, medicine import issues in Hainan Free Trade Port