U.S. equities opened higher and extended gains: Nasdaq up 2.0%, S&P 500 up 1.5%, Dow Jones Industrial Average up 1.3%.

An EU internal assessment says a Russian covert network attempted to exploit last month’s unrest in France via social media, blaming the disturbances on uncontrolled immigration and portraying the government as having lost control. A separate French foreign ministry internal report says accounts linked to Israel and the U.S. MAGA movement also pushed hostile narratives tying the unrest to radical Islam and migration. EU analysts identified a network named Operation Overload that circulated videos masquerading as Western media aimed at French audiences; some falsely claimed imminent terror attacks. The Russian foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

Zelenskiy said on the evening of the 8th that Russian forces have recently carried out large-scale personnel and equipment rotations and reinforced positions in Kherson, including rotations on the left bank of the Dnipro in Russian-held areas, and used an Oleshky humanitarian operation as cover. He convened regional governors, instructed the military to propose further measures to protect local civilians, and Ukrainian media have reported abnormal Russian military movements in Kherson.