Russia's defence ministry claims it has used hypersonic missiles for the first time ever in combat. It said forces had destroyed an underground Ukrainian missile depot in the western Ivano-Frankivsk region on Friday.
The strike is understood to have been carried out using Kinzhal – or "dagger" – missiles, which have been claimed to have a range of around 2,000km (1,242m). Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously touted the weapon as "invincible".
Kinzhals are said to fly low and up to 10 times the speed of sound, making them effectively "invisible" to most anti-missile defence systems. They are also able to carry nuclear warheads, reports the Mirror.
Russian defence ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said forces also used the anti-ship missile system Bastion to strike Ukrainian military facilities near the Black Sea port of Odesa.
It comes as Russia's invasion of Ukraine enters its 24th day. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for urgent peace talks amid Russia's brutal bombardment.
Some 112 children have been killed so far in the war, the Ukrainian prosecutor general's office said on Saturday. It added that 140 children had been wounded.
The UK's Ministry of Defence said Russia "has been forced" to change its operational approach in Ukraine "and is now pursuing a strategy of attrition". "This is likely to involve the indiscriminate use of firepower resulting in increased civilian casualties, destruction of Ukrainian infrastructure, and intensify the humanitarian crisis," it said in its latest intelligence update.
"Putin has reinforced his control over Russian domestic media. The Kremlin is attempting to control the narrative, detract from operational problems and obscure high Russian casualty numbers from the Russian people."
