Ukraine-Russia war - live: Putin turns to new weapon for winter attacks as bombing of Avdiivka continues

The Russian Army has used new, longer-range drones for the first time in an attack against Ukraine near Kyiv, reports suggest. The Italmas weapon, which is harder to detect than the Iranian-made Shahed drone, may be part of Vladimir Putin’s strategy to expand Russia’s arsenal as harsher winter weather approaches, the Institute for the Study of War said. It comes as the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, Donetsk, faced heavy shelling overnight as Russia continues with its offensive push into the region. “The enemy dropped about 40 guided aerial bombs in two nights. But the number of ground assaults has been reduced, half of what it was yesterday and the day before,” Oleksandr Shtupun, spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern group of forces, said. Mr Shtupun added that Russia had suffered about 2,400 casualties in the last five days during its campaing in the Donetsk region. Meanwhile, Ukraine launched an “underwater sabotage” attack on Russia’s Black Sea fleet near Sevastopol, Crimea, on Tuesday, according to Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-installed governor of the region. Read More Putin’s many ‘heart attacks’ and why the rumours may be in his favour Russian oil boss becomes third to die suddenly at company that criticised Putin’s war Ukraine's leader says Russian naval assets are no longer safe in the Black Sea near Crimea