Moscow claims to have beaten back attack comprising mechanical and tank units in Donetsk; Belgorod governor blames drone for attack on energy facility
Moscow claims to have repelled major attack
Russia’s defence ministry has claimed it has fought off a large-scale attack on its forces in the south-eastern Donetsk region, a claim that has not been independently verified. It said it killed 250 Ukrainian troops and destroyed 16 tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles and 21 armoured combat vehicles in the process. You can read the latest report on the claimed attack here
Ukrainian presidential adviser Anton Gerashchenko has tweeted about the apparent dispute between Wagner mercenaries and Russian forces around Bakhmut.
He includes footage shared by Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin of what appears to be aforced confession by a orced confession by a captured accused of opening fire on a Wagner vehicle.
Gerashchenko says: “I wonder, if Prigozhin will get away this time with the disclosure of the classified information about the incident and an open discreditation of the Russian Ministry of Defence?”
Drones fall onto highway south of Moscow, says governor
The governor of the Kaluga region, which lies south of Moscow, has said two drones have fallen onto the M3 Ukraine highway, near the towns of Zhizdra and Duminichi.
There was no detonation and the sites have been cordoned off by investigators, said governor Vladislav Shapsha.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that Russia is using a network of suppliers to evade international sanctions designed to prevent it from making missiles and other weapons.
In a video address on Sunday evening, Zelenskiy said unnamed countries and companies were helping Russia acquire technology, with the emphasis on producing missiles. Russia has launched hundreds of missiles against Ukrainian targets since last October.
Dan Sabbagh reports, Ukraine has readied 12 brigades, an estimated 60,000 troops, to spearhead an attack it hopes to show it can force the Russian invaders, who total about 300,000, from its territory, some of which has been occupied since 2014.