Ukraine has claimed to have hit a Russian cruise missile factory near Smolensk with explosive drones in what could be a major blow for Vladimir Putin's forces.

Russia "attacked the south of the country again", the Defence Forces of the South of Ukraine said on the messaging platform Telegram.

Russia attacked Ukraine with 7 Shahed kamikaze drones on the night of 1-2 October, with Ukrainian forces managing to shoot down 4 Russian UAVs. Source: Ukrainian Air Force on Telegram; Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat,

Ukraine is not an EU member but wants to join. The meeting comes a day after further military funding for Ukraine was left out of a last-minute US budget deal. EU policy chief Josep Borrell has described the ongoing war in Ukraine as an "existential crisis".

Joe Biden urges Congress to swiftly approve Ukraine aid left out of US government funding bill; Rishi Sunak rows back on defence minister’s suggestion that British troops could carry out training in U

Russia is defending its “sovereignty” and “spiritual values” by waging war in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin said in a video address posted on the Kremlin website. The speech came a year after Putin signed documents to illegally annex four Ukrainian regions in Europe’s biggest land grab since World War II.