Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin ‘creating new defences’ amid ‘growing concerns’ over Kyiv counteroffensive

Russia is likely building new defences in southern Ukraine, amid “growing concern” among Vladimir Putin’s forces about Kyiv’s success in breaching its first defensive line, Britain’s Ministry of Defence has said. Moscow’s troops are believed to be “deploying additional checkpoints, ‘hedgehog’ anti-tank defences and digging new trenches” near the Zaporizhzhia village of Tokmak, which is situated just 16km from Ukraine’s forces, and is set to become a “lynchpin” of Russia’s second defensive line, the ministry said. In Donetsk, Ukraine’s armed forces celebrated the recapture of Andriivka, a village near Bakhmut, after a battle in which they claimed Russia had suffered “significant losses” – a liberation the military said was “key to success in all further directions”. The comments came as Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the destruction of a Russian air defence system in the annexed Crimea peninsula, as a Ukrainian minister vowed that “there will be more drones, more attacks, and fewer Russian ships”. Read More Kim Jong Un stops to see a fighter jet factory as Russia and North Korea are warned off arms deals She danced with Putin at her wedding. Now the former Austrian foreign minister has moved to Russia What is a Storm Shadow cruise missile?