Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Ukraine's 35th Independence Day that Russia plans to mobilise an additional 300,000 troops following its parliamentary elections in September, with a further 200,000 potentially called up by 2027. He said the forces would primarily be used to seize the Donetsk region (a partly Russian-occupied area of eastern Ukraine that Moscow has sought to control since 2014), where Ukrainian forces still hold key cities including Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. The warning came as allied leaders gathered in Kyiv to reaffirm support for Ukraine, with British Prime Minister Burnham announcing that the UK would approve Storm Shadow cruise missile production on Ukrainian soil — a significant step toward bolstering Ukraine's ability to strike deep into Russian territory.