"Timeline of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Day 540 and Beyond"

On day 540 of the Russia-Ukraine war, Ukraine reported drone attacks on grain silos, while its forces liberated a settlement in the southeast but faced deteriorating conditions in the northeast. Video footage suggested Chechen troops were policing a town near a Russian-occupied nuclear power plant. Russia claimed to have shot down Ukrainian drones and thwarted a Ukrainian sabotage group. Diplomatically, a cargo ship set sail along a new maritime corridor, the US urged Russia to return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and Ukraine called for more weapons and the isolation of Russia's leadership. The UK accused Russia of deploying domestically-produced drones based on Iranian models.