Senior Russian officers have reportedly refused to continue pressing the attack on Vugledar after suffering heavy losses in a failed assault on the eastern Ukrainian town.

Russia is believed to have lost around 130 tanks and armoured fighting vehicles in a recent disastrous attempt to take the town from Ukraine's forces.

Ukrainian military officials told the Kyiv Post that the officers of the 155th Brigade, which is believed to have suffered 300 casualties per day during the three-week assault, were refusing orders to continue attacking.

"The leaders of the brigade and senior officers are refusing to proceed with a new senseless attack as demanded by their unskilled commanders - to storm well-defended Ukrainian positions with little protection or preparation," the Ukrainian military said.

It comes as Russian forces continued their attempt to seize Bakhmut, the eastern salt-mining town at the centre of some of the bloodiest fighting of the war.

07:39 AM

Russian forces resort to makeshift ‘tankenstein’ vehicles

Russia is welding ageing naval turrets onto old armoured vehicles to make crude tanks as Vladimir Putin’s forces face worsening arms shortages.

The crudely engineered vehicles are being deployed in a likely attempt to shoot down Ukrainian drones as the armed forces grapple with crippling shortages of armoured vehicles and ammunition.

New footage from an undisclosed location appears to show a 25mm 2M-3 twin-barrelled naval anti-aircraft turret fitted to a Soviet-era MT-LB amphibious fighting vehicle to form a new hybrid weapon.

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07:33 AM

Mud hampers Ukraine's Bakhmut resupply efforts

Muddy conditions around Bakhmut are likely hampering Ukraine's efforts to resupply its troops, according to the Ministry of Defence.

In its daily intelligence briefing, the ministry said: "Muddy conditions are likely hampering Ukrainian resupply efforts as they increasingly resort to using unpaved tracks."

Numerous reports have suggested that Ukrainian troops defending the eastern town are running seriously low on ammunition as they battle to hold back Russia's advance.

"The Ukrainian defence of Bakhmut continues to degrade forces on both sides," the ministry said. "Over the weekend, Ukrainian forces likely stabilised their defensive perimeter following previous Russian advances into the north of the town."

07:25 AM

China claims Ukraine crisis driven by 'invisible hand'

The Ukraine crisis seems to be driven by an invisible hand pushing for the protraction and escalation of the conflict, China's foreign minister Qin Gang has claimed.

The "invisible hand" is "using the Ukraine crisis to serve certain geopolitical agendas", Mr Qin said on the sidelines of an annual parliament meeting in Beijing, calling for dialogue to begin as soon as possible.