Russia Ukraine war live: Kyiv launches massive Crimea drone attack as Putin’s forces expand Kharkiv frontline

We have some more information on the long-range Ukrainian strikes across Russia and occupied Crimea overnight.

A Kyiv intelligence source told Reuters that one of the attacks, on an oil refinery in the coastal Russian village of Tuapse, has caused damage that will require repairs. Another strike on a power station in Sevastopol has also caused power cuts.

President Vladimir Putin has said that capturing the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv is not part of Russia’s current plan and that Russian forces operating nearby are creating a “buffer zone” for Russia’s own security.

Putin, who said that all of the military operations were proceeding according to plan, was speaking at a new conference in China.

Some photos have just dropped on the wires showing Ukrainian soldiers fighting against the Russian advance in the northeastern Kharkiv region.

The images are a rare insight into what life is like on the frontlines for Ukrainian soldiers.

Russian forces have expanded the area of active combat by almost 43 miles (70 km) by launching their offensive in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine’s army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Friday

“The enemy expanded the zone of active hostilities by almost 70 kilometers, thus trying to force us to use an additional number of brigades from the reserve,” he wrote on Telegram.

He added that he expected fighting to intensify as Kyiv troops are also preparing to defend in northern region of Sumy.

Harbin in the northeastern Heilongjiang province, which borders Russia’s Far East, has deep social, economic and cultural ties with its neighbouring country. The city was once known as “Little Moscow” for its substantial Russian population and cultural influence.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that “not a single week” in more than two years of war has gone by without Russia committing “terror against our people”.

In a message on Telegram, which included images of the latest attacks in Ukraine perpetrated by Russian forces, Mr Zelensky said Ukraine “must force Russia to a real, just peace”, referring to recent claims by Vladimir Putin that he was interested in a peace deal – though only one on his terms.

“There has not been a single week in more than two years of this war when Russia refrained from terror against our people,” Mr Zelensky wrote.

“Russia is trying to expand the war, accompanying it invariably with empty words about peace. We must force Russia to a real, just peace by all means. Our defence against assaults and blows is decisive.

“Thank you to everyone who defends Ukraine! Thanks to all the countries that help us!”

Satellite imagery released this morning has shown that at least Russian fighter jets have been destroyed at an airbase in occupied Crimea.

The Russian defence ministry reported an attack on Tuesday night on the Belbek airbase on the port city of Sevastopol, claiming that US-supplied ATACMS long-range missiles had been used in the assault.

But they claimed that they had “destroyed” all ten missiles fired.

This new satellite imagery appears to cast doubt on that claim.

Footage collated from various Russian Telegram channels appear to show the aftermath of a series of Ukrainian drone strikes on southwest Russia.