Ukraine yesterday rejected Russia’s claim that it had captured a tiny village in the east, as battles grind on nearly two years into Moscow’s invasion.

Russia accused Ukraine today of deliberately shooting down a Russian military transport plane carrying 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers to a prisoner exchange

At least 25 people were killed and 20 injured after Ukrainian forces shelled the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, Alexei Kulemzin, the city’s Russian-installed mayor, said yesterday.

The European Union said Friday it will drastically increase ammunition production this year in response to Ukraine’s growing pleas for support in its war against Russia, which summoned the French ambassador to protest at the country’s “growing involvement” in the conflict.

Ukraine said it was behind a drone strike that sparked a huge inferno at an oil depot in western Russia yesterday, the latest in a series of escalating cross-border attacks.

Russia yesterday said it destroyed all targets in a barrage of strikes on facilities producing ammunition and drones in Ukraine.

A woman was killed in Ukrainian shelling of Russia’s Kursk region and drones struck a fuel facility in the neighbouring region of Orlyov, the two regions’ governors said yesterday, amid an escalation of cross-border attacks.

Russia sent dozens of missiles across Ukraine early yesterday, killing at least four civilians and hitting residential areas and commercial sites in its latest combined air attack, Ukrainian authorities said.

Russia yesterday announced its forces shot down four Ukrainian missiles over Moscow-annexed Crimea overnight.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday that Moscow will intensify strikes on military targets in Ukraine after an unprecedented attack over the weekend on the Russian city of Belgorod.

Russia pounded the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv with missiles and drones in the hours leading into New Year’s Eve, Ukrainian officials said, hours after Moscow accused Kyiv of carrying out a deadly air assault just across the border on nearby Belgorod.

Russia said yesterday that a Ukrainian strike killed at least 14 people and injured 108 in the city of Belgorod, a day after Russian strikes killed dozens in Ukraine.

Russia launched a massive air attack over Ukraine on Friday, killing at least 30 people and wounding scores across the country in the fiercest assault since the first days of the war nearly two years ago

Russia yesterday unleashed one of its biggest missile attacks on Ukraine of the war, killing 18 civilians, wounding more than 130 others and hitting residential buildings in Kyiv, the south and west of the country, officials said.

Russia unleashed its largest drone and missile attack on Ukraine in months today, killing 10 people and wounding at least 60 others in Kyiv, the south, west, and east of the country, officials said

Ukrainian authorities said yesterday that a commercial ship arriving to collect grain hit a Russian naval mine in the Black Sea, injuring two sailors.

Ukraine struck a large Russian landing warship in Crimea with cruise missiles in an overnight attack that killed at least one person and could hinder any Russian attempt to seize more Ukrainian territory along the Black Sea coast.

Russia launched 31 drones and 2 missiles at Ukraine overnight, mostly targeting the south of the country, with air defences destroying 28 drones and both missiles, the Ukrainian military said yesterday.

Russian bombardment killed four people and injured nine over 24 hours in the frontline southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, the region’s governor said yesterday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called yesterday for a “severe” response to foreign agents who aim to destabilise Russia by aiding Ukraine.