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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
William Mata,Maryam Zakir-Hussain and Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Ukraine war live: Kyiv to fortify borders with Russia and Belarus as Putin’s forces unleash missile barrage

UKRAINIAN EMERGENCY SERVICE/AFP

Huge smoke cloud rises after massive explosion at factory in Moscow

Russian troops have been seen fleeing cluster bombs as a Ukrainian drone has been downed over Crimea, according to reports.

Footage released by the Ukrainian defence ministry shows US-supplied cluster munitions, which spray “bomblets” across a wide area, hitting Russian forces amid Kyiv’s recapturing of the key strategic settlement of Urozhaine in the Donetsk region.

“Ukrainian troops have liberated Urozhaine village, Donetsk region!” the Ukrainian defence ministry posted on X on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Russia's Defence Ministry said on Wednesday its forces had shot down a Ukrainian drone over Crimea, Interfax reported, the latest in a flurry of what Moscow calls "terrorist attacks". Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

This comes as Ukraine has hit out at a NATO official’s suggestion the country could give up land to Russia in exchange for membership of the alliance as “ridiculous” amid a brewing diplomatic row.

And, speaking to the BBC, over a dozen former detainees have detailed the alleged physical and psychological abuse they suffered at the hands of Russian officers and guards at the Pre-Trial Detention Facility Number Two in Taganrog. They have since been released in prisoner exchanges.

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