Ukraine strikes continue as polling stations open in Russia

Russia and Ukraine exchanged strikes overnight as Russians prepared to vote in parliamentary elections. The Kremlin's main party, United Russia, is expected to maintain its grip on power. According to France 24, the only party that criticized the war was removed from the ballot.

Russian forces have been pressing towards Ukrainian-held cities on the eastern front, but Ukrainian troops have made gains in a quiet counteroffensive. Euromaidan Press reported that Ukrainian troops recently entered a front-line village, Serednie, which had been under Russian control. The village's capture was denied by Russia, which claimed footage of the event was fake.

In other developments, Russia has seized the Russian operations of several Western companies, including Swiss food giant Nestlé and French retailers Auchan and Lemana Pro, as well as a French logistics group. The Citizen reported that the decree seizing the assets was signed by President Vladimir Putin and transferred control to a new company called LEV Management.

Brief written by urgent.news from France 24, The Citizen, Euromaidan Press, Interfax-Ukraine — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.