Ukraine war latest: ‘Mass disruption’ to messaging apps in Russia; Moscow comes under huge drone attack

Moscow’s forces have taken control of the Ukrainian settlement of Zhelanne, in the Pokrovsk district of the country’s eastern Donetsk region, Russia’s defence ministry has claimed.

Russian forces have been pushing towards the key strategic hub of Pokrovsk city for months.

Capturing the city would compromise Kyiv’s defensive abilities and supply routes, bringing Russia closer to its stated aim of controlling the entire Donetsk region.

Moscow’s troops have been driving forward slowly in eastern Ukraine, where they control around 18% of the territory.

It is pushing for total control of Donetsk and neighboring Luhansk, which together form the Donbas industrial region.