MOSCOW/KYIV (Reuters) -Russia said on Monday its troops had advanced in the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a transport and logistics hub that they have been trying to capture for over a year, but Ukraine said its forces were holding on.

Two weeks ago Ukraine successfully attacked an important Russian chemical plant using British-made Storm Shadow missiles. Kyiv described the facility as critical to Moscow’s war efforts. Russia struck civilian energy and port infrastructure in a massive overnight drone attack on Ukraine's southern region of Odesa, its governor said this morning.

Russia said on Monday that its troops had advanced in the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a transport and logistics hub that Moscow's forces have been seeking to capture for well over a year.

The strike disrupts Kyiv's logistics, hampers reinforcements to the eastern front, and threatens nearby civilians. Moscow called it a military success, while Kyiv sought NATO support.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia has deployed about 170,000 troops in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, aiming to capture the city of Pokrovsk. He said Friday the situation

"Will anyone dare to blame me for proposing that we blow up the Kyiv dam," asked one of Russia's top propagandists.

A British national accused of spying for Russia in Ukraine and preparing to carry out terrorist attacks has been arrested, Ukrainian prosecutors said on Wednesday. Ukrainian officials alleged that the man, who they did not name, collaborated with Russia’s special services and agreed to sell military information in exchange for money.

Western analysts say the attacks on energy infrastructure so far have had a serious — but not crippling — effect. Ukrainian drones have repeatedly hit 16 major Russian refineries, representing about 38% of the country’s nominal refining capacity, according to a recent review by the Carnegie Endowment, a U.S.-based think tank.

Preparing for a full-scale war France’s military is preparing for the worst-case scenario: a full-scale European war with Russia “in the next three to four years.” That’s the revelation Fabien Mandon,