An emboldened Russia has ramped up military offensives on two fronts in Ukraine. That is scattering Kyiv’s precious reserve troops and threatening to expand the fighting to a new Ukrainian region as each side seeks an advantage before the fighting season wanes in the autumn.

Moscow's forces made gains in the Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

For months the talk in Kyiv was of a much-anticipated Russian offensive that would aim to gobble up more of Ukraine’s eastern regions. So far, it’s been underwhelming – but the Russians have made some gains and vastly reinforced their troop numbers in some areas.

Five people were injured, including a 7-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl, in a Russian attack on the southern Ukraine port of Odesa overnight, Ukrainian authorities said on Thursday.

The plant also specialises in the production of Osa air defence systems and has developed drones, according to Ukrainian media. An Ukrainian official confirmed to BBC Ukraine that two long-range drones operated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) struck the Kupol plant from a distance of around 1,

Kim Jong-un highlighted Pyongyang’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine by showing his people, for the first time, images of North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian troops.