The American military said two Russian Su-27 jets intercepted the unmanned MQ-9 Reaper drone in international airspace before one of them struck the aircraft’s propeller, causing US forces to have to bring it down.

Russia denied involvement, with a senior figure describing the episode as a “provocation.”

My colleague Thomas Kinsgley has this breaking story:

Russia’s combat power is so depleted that Vladimir Putin’s commanders “will likely be forced to choose between carrying out offensive operations and conducting a credible defence of the full line”, the UK’s Ministry of Defence has claimed.

Russian and Wagner Group forces have obtained footholds west of the Bakhmutka River in the centre of Bakhmut in recent days, with Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to defend the west of the town, according to UK intelligence,

“However, more broadly across the front line, Russia is conducting some of the lowest rates of local offensive action that has been seen since at least January 2023,” the ministry said.

“This is most likely because Russian forces have temporarily depleted the deployed formations’ combat power to such an extent that even local offensive actions are not currently sustainable.

“Russian leaders will likely seek to regenerate the offensive potential of the force once personnel and munition stocks are replenished. In the meantime, commanders will likely be forced to choose between carrying out offensive operations and conducting a credible defence of the full line.”

The Pentagon has said it has “indications that Russia is likely making an effort to try to recover” the US drone it alleges was intercepted by Moscow’s fighter jets over the Black Sea.

Russia had previously stated its intention to look for debris in deep waters near Crimea, and a US official told Reuters that Russian ships had been seen near the area where the drone had crashed, though they did not appear to have recovered any parts of the drone yet.

The Pentagon said it believed it was “very unlikely that they would be able to recover anything useful”.

China’s president Xi Jinping will exchange opinions on major international and regional issues with Vladimir Putin during his state visit to Russia, China’s foreign ministry has said.

The objective of the visit is to further deepen bilateral trust, spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a news briefing.

Chinese president Xi Jinping will accept an invite by Vladimir Putin to conduct a state visit to Russia next week, the Kremlin has announced.

China and Russia struck a “no limits” partnership in February 2022, just weeks before the invasion of Ukraine, and last month Beijing offered to broker peace in the war.

“During the talks, they will discuss topical issues of further development of comprehensive partnership relations and strategic cooperation between Russia and China,” the Kremlin said, adding: “A number of important bilateral documents will be signed.”

Meanwhile, in a rare phone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart, China’s foreign minister, Qin Gang, told his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba this week that Beijing is concerned about the war spinning out of control.

“We hope that all parties will remain calm, rational and restrained, resume peace talks as soon as possible, and push for a return to the track of political settlement,” Mr Qin was quoted by Beijing as saying.

“China will continue to play a constructive role toward reaching a cease-fire, ending warfare, mitigating the crisis and restoring peace,” he said.

Russian attacks against civilians in Ukraine, including systematic torture and killing in occupied regions, amount to war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity, according to a report from a UN-backed inquiry.

The sweeping human rights report, released a year to the day after a Russian airstrike on a theater in Mariupol killed hundreds sheltering inside, marked a highly unusual condemnation of a member of the UN Security Council.

Among potential crimes against humanity, the report cited repeated attacks targeting Ukrainian infrastructure since the fall that left hundreds of thousands without heat and electricity during the coldest months, as well as the “systematic and widespread” use of torture across multiple regions under Russian occupation.

Mary Dejevsky writes: “So taken up was the Western world with reiterating its support for Ukraine a year after the Russian invasion, that it barely registered how a very large power on the other side of the world had marked the anniversary in a rather different way.

“Even as the United States, the UK and the Europeans were girding themselves for another year of conflict and competing for laurels in the supply of arms, China came out with… a peace plan.

“To the extent that the plan received any Western attention at all, it was dismissive. The general message was that now was no time for talking, and anyway that China had no business – and no credibility – in setting itself up as a potential go-between.”

The American military said two Russian Su-27 jets intercepted the unmanned MQ-9 Reaper drone in international airspace before one of them struck the aircraft’s propeller, causing US forces to have to bring it down.

Russia denied involvement, with a senior figure describing the episode as a “provocation.”

Thomas Kingsley has more on this story:

While Russia has not specifically said why it only wants a 60-day renewal, it has complained that its own food and fertilizer exports are being hindered by Western sanctions.

To help persuade Russia to allow Ukraine to resume its Black Sea grain exports last year, a three-year deal was also struck in July in which the United Nations agreed to help facilitate Russian food and fertilizer exports.

Western powers have hit Russia with tough sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine. While its food and fertilizer exports are not under sanctions, Moscow says restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance industries are a barrier to such shipments.

“Meaningful progress has been made but it is true that some obstacles remain, notably with regard to payment systems. Our efforts to overcome those obstacles will continue unabated,” Dujarric said on Tuesday.

Ukraine has so far exported nearly 25 million tonnes of mainly corn and wheat under the deal, according to the United Nations. The top primary destinations for shipments have been China, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the Netherlands.

When asked on Thursday about Russia’s proposal for a 60-day extension, China – a strategic partner of Moscow – called for the deal to be implemented in a balanced and comprehensive manner.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin also said China would like to strengthen communication with all parties and enhance global food security.