Ukraine’s domestic intelligence agency has claimed responsibility for a sabotage operation that badly damaged the Russian-made Kerch Bridge linking occupied Crimea with Russia last October.

    Two people have been killed in Russian attacks in the eastern Donetsk region, according to a Ukrainian governor.

    The US will send Black Hornet Nano drones to Ukraine as part of a $400m security assistance package, the Pentagon says.

    British lawmakers urge more targeted sanctions against the Wagner Group and advise the group should be labelled as a terrorist organisation by the UK.

    A Russian aircraft flew “dangerously close” to a US drone over Syria earlier this week in violation of established protocols and international norms, the White House has said.

    “We have seen the early reports of a second Russian fighter aircraft this week, flying dangerously close to our drone on a defeat ISIS mission,” White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters in a press briefing.

    The US military said on Tuesday the Russian fighter jet hit the US drone with a flare and “severely” damaged its propeller over Syria.

   Ukraine’s counteroffensive is “not a stalemate” even if it is not progressing fast enough, White House national security spokesman John Kirby has told reporters.

    Kirby made the remarks when asked about the pace of Ukraine’s counteroffensive in a press briefing.

    “President Zelenskiy himself has said that he that it’s not progressing as fast as he would like and they’re not moving as far every day as they would like. The United States is not going to take a position on that,” Kirby said.

    He added: “That said they are moving, it’s not a stalemate. They’re not just frozen. The Ukrainians are moving.”