The Ukrainian foreign minister, Andrii Sybiga, said Ukraine has a “clear picture” of forthcoming military aid as he held talks with Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, who was in Brussels. “We have a clear picture – a clear timeframe, clear volumes – of what will be delivered to Ukraine by the end of the year. This helps us strategically to plan our actions on the battlefield. The assistance would include weapons and funds for arms production deals”.

“Sybiga stressed the need for more air defence systems after the latest night attack on Ukraine: “Russia is using Iranian drones, North Korean ballistic missiles and troops to attack Ukraine. Ukraine’s defence cannot be put on hold”.

Ukrainian forces repelled an attempt by Russian troops to pierce defences near the north-eastern city of Kupiansk, Ukraine’s general staff said. The Russians attacked in 4 waves and deployed about 15 pieces of equipment, including tanks, armoured vehicles and a mine-clearing system. Some of the Russian forces, it said, had, donned uniforms resembling those of the Ukrainian military, a practice it characterised as amounting to a war crime. DeepState, a popular Ukrainian military blog, backed up the report, saying 2 columns of Russian men and equipment had entered Kupiansk after dark.

The general staff also reported on heavy military activity further south in Pokrovsk, a major target of Russian advances, with Ukrainian forces said to have repelled all but 1 of 36 attacks. The Reuters news agency said it could not independently verify battlefield reports. In the Donetsk region, prosecutors said a Russian attack killed 2 residents in the village of Shevchenko.

Russia for the first time in 73 days put together a sophisticated combined aerial attack on Ukraine including Kyiv using both missiles and drones. Air raid warnings blared for hours as Russia targeted eight regions of Ukraine in all, firing six ballistic and cruise missiles and 90 drones, the Ukrainian air force said. Air defences downed four missiles and 37 drones, and another 47 drones were stopped by electronic jamming, the statement said. Kyiv officials said one man was wounded by falling debris from a drone in the suburb of Brovary, while emergency services distributed images of firefighters battling flames at one impact site. A drone attack in the Ukrainian-controlled southern region of Kherson killed a 52-year-old woman, the regional head said”, - writes The Guardian.