President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the “victory plan” he wants to present to US leader Joe Biden later this month is a way to reach a reliable peace in the more than two-and-half-year-old Russian full-scale war in Ukraine.

“(It) can pave the way for a reliable peace and for the full implementation of the peace formula,” he said at a conference organised by the Viktor Pinchuk Foundation charity.

Russian forces have focused their assaults in eastern Ukraine near the embattled town of Kurakhove as Ukrainian troops tried to hold the line at a critical juncture of the war, Kyiv said.

The Russians also pressed towards Ukraine‘s rail hub of Pokrovsk, about 20 miles north of Kurakhove, in an attempt to open new lines of attack, disrupt Ukrainian logistics, and take control of the rest of the eastern Donetsk region two-and-a-half years on from Russia’s invasion of its neighbour.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has praised his troops for holding their positions in Pokrovsk and Kurakhove, the two most difficult sectors in the east.

Ukraine‘s forces are stretched thin but the military said they had repelled 64 assaults near Kurakhove in the past day, the most intense fighting there this month.

The Ukrainian military also reported repelling 36 attacks near Pokrovsk on the same day.

Ukraine has secured the return of 49 Ukrainians from Russian captivity, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

“We must bring home all our soldiers and civilians,” he said on the Telegram messaging app, adding that servicemen from the armed forces, the national guard, the police and the border guard service were included in the latest swap.

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Russia started producing a new long-range attack drone called the Garpiya-A1 last year using Chinese engines and parts, which it has deployed in the war in Ukraine, according to sources and documents seen by news agency Reuters.

The intelligence - which included a production contract for the new drone, company correspondence on the manufacturing process and financial documents - indicated that IEMZ Kupol, a subsidiary of Russian state-owned weapons maker Almaz-Antey, produced more than 2,500 Garpiyas from July 2023 to July 2024.

The existence of the new Russian drone incorporating Chinese technology has not been previously reported.

The two intelligence sources said that the Garpiya, which means Harpy in Russian, has been deployed against military and civilian targets in Ukraine, causing damage to critical infrastructure as well as both civilian and military casualties.

 IEMZ Kupol and Almaz-Antey did not respond to requests for comment.

Russia’s defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment for this story. The Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement to Reuters that Beijing strictly controls the export of items with potential military applications, including drones.

Ukraine sees the ability to use long-range missiles behind enemy lines as a game-changer, allowing it to target air bases, supply depots, and communication centers hundreds of miles over the border. 

It argues that this would help reduce Russia’s air superiority and weaken supply lines needed to launch daily airstrikes against Ukraine - with drones, missiles, and powerful glide bombs - and to sustain its military ground offensive into Ukraine. 

With winter likely to slow that advance, long-range air strike capabilities will become a higher priority. Kyiv wants to go back on the offensive to offset military manpower shortages 2 years into the war and to protect its badly-damaged power infrastructure. 

President Vladimir Putin has delivered a clear message to the West about the consequences it will face if it allows Ukraine to hit Russian territory with Western long-range missiles, the Kremlin has said.

Putin said on Thursday that the West would be directly fighting with Russia if it allowed Ukraine to strike Russian territory with Western-made long-range missiles, a move he said would alter the nature and scope of the conflict.

“The statement made by President Putin yesterday is very important. It is extremely clear, unambiguous and does not allow for double readings. We have no doubt that this statement reached those it was intended for,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The Kremlin has declined to comment after Ukraine said Russia used strategic bombers to strike a civilian grain vessel in Black Sea waters near NATO member Romania on Thursday.

Ukraine and Romania both condemned the attack on the ship, which was carrying Ukrainian grain to Egypt and was hit just after it left Ukrainian territorial waters.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov referred reporters’ questions to the Russian military.

Russia’s decision to expel six British diplomats over espionage concerns is not related to any effort to sever diplomatic ties with London, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

Earlier today, Russia’s FSB security service said it had revoked the accreditation of six British diplomats in Moscow after accusing them of spying and sabotage work, signalling the Kremlin’s anger at what it sees as London’s vital role in helping Ukraine.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said it is “difficult to repeatedly hear” Western allies say they are “working on” a decision to free up long-range missiles to be used deep inside Ukraine while “Putin continues to burn down our cities and villages”

Mr Zelensky has been calling for the US and UK to agree to allow them to strike infrastructure such as airfields that contribute to the barrages of missiles and drones that strike across Ukraine on a near-daily basis.

The president wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that: “Putin interprets delays in helping us and in making strong decisions for Ukraine as permission to do whatever he wants.”