Russia’s defence ministry on Wednesday blamed the illegal use of mobile phones by its soldiers for a deadly Ukrainian missile strike that it said killed 89 servicemen, raising the reported death toll significantly. Moscow previously said 63 Russian soldiers were killed in the weekend strike on Makiivka. Although an official investigation has been launched, the main reason for the attack was clearly the illegal mass use of mobile phones by servicemen, the ministry said.

Ukraine’s military general staff said Russia had launched seven missile strikes, 18 airstrikes and more than 85 attacks from multiple-launch rocket systems in the past 24 hours on civilian infrastructure in three cities – Kramatorsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.

Ukraine’s efforts to increase exports under the Black Sea grain deal with Russia are currently focused on securing faster inspections of ships rather than including more ports in the initiative, a senior Ukrainian official said.

There are unconfirmed reports that air defence was activated twice in the Sevastopol region overnight as a result of drone activity by Ukrainian forces.

The Ukrainian president used his video address to reiterate warnings that Russia is set to launch a major offensive to improve its fortunes. “We have no doubt that current masters of Russia will throw everything they have left and everyone they can round up to try to turn the tide of the war and at least delay their defeat”, - said Volodymyr Zelensky in a video address.

Germany is looking for further ways to help Ukraine protect its people and infrastructure, the German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, said on Wednesday, stressing that any dip in Europe’s resolve on the issue would serve as a boon to Moscow