The Latest Breaking News from Donbas

State Department confirmed death of US citizen in Donbas region

A new operational defeat for Russia’s forces — this time in a strategic eastern Ukrainian town — casts further doubt on the “forever” annexation of four occupied regions by President Vladimir Putin.

(This Sept 29 story has been refiled to correct date)

Russia is set to formally annex four occupied territories in eastern Ukraine, claiming the region as its own more than six months after it first invaded its neighboring country.

The message from the Russian authorities has named Purnima Anand who worked as “an observer from India” during the referendum

Made before Russia’s full-scale invasion, this story of a hippy who turns warrior after his wife is killed could not be more urgent but feels oddly cliched

Five AfD politicians currently in Russia and planning to travel to occupied Donbas in eastern Ukraine

Ukraine said its troops have marched farther east into territory recently abandoned by Russia, paving the way for a potential assault on Moscow's occupation forces in the Donbas region as Kyiv seeks more Western arms. "The occupiers are clearly in a panic," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a televised…

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday dismissed planned referendums in Russian-controlled regions as a farce, saying France would not recognise their results. Meanwhile, the Russian foreign ministry accused Paris of "unacceptable" arms deliveries to Ukraine. Read about the day's events as they unfolded on our liveblog. All times are Paris…