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 has committed wide-ranging war crimes in Ukraine such as wilful killings, torture and the deportation of children, according to a UN-mandated report.

The report, based on more than 500 interviews as well as satellite images and visits to detention sites and graves, comes as the International Criminal Court in The Hague is expected to seek the arrest of Russian officials for forcibly deporting children from Ukraine and targeting civilian infrastructure.

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine said that Russian forces have carried out “indiscriminate and disproportionate” attacks on Ukraine, resorted to torture, killed civilians outside of combat and failed to take measures to safeguard the Ukrainian population.

“Russian authorities have committed numerous violations of international humanitarian law and violations of international human rights law, in addition to a wide range of war crimes…,” the report said.

The document gave details of torture methods used in Russian detention facilities where victims were subjected to electric shocks with a military phone – a treatment known as a “call to Putin” – or hung from the ceiling in a “parrot position”.

Russia denies committing atrocities or targeting civilians in Ukraine.

A Ukrainian photographer has contributed to a website which allows people to immersively walk the war-torn streets of his country and compare them before and after the Russian invasion, in the hope it will highlight the “terrible” reality of the destruction caused.

The Undeniable Street View was launched on the one-year anniversary of Russia launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine – February 24 – and is the first war zone presented in Street View and made from more than 100km of raw Street View footage.

It has been shot by Ukrainian photography experts on the ground, including Mykola Omelchenko, whose project called War Up Close played a pivotal role in The Undeniable Street View’s existence.

Russian president Vladimir Putin has said that Russia was facing a “sanctions war” in his first major address to the country’s business elite since the day he ordered tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine last year.

Putin said Russia was swiftly reorienting its economy towards countries that had not hit Russia with sanctions, and thanked business leaders for working to help the Russian state.

Steven Seagal has declared himself “one million per cent” Russian after receiving an award from president Vladimir Putin.

The former Hollywood star was given an Order of Friendship medal after supporting the country following its invasion of Ukraine.

Seagal pledged his allegiance to Russia during an event held by International Movement of Russians in Moscow on Monday (13 March).

Jacob Stolworthy reports:

Polish security services have detained members of a Russian espionage ring, authorities said, alleging they were preparing acts of sabotage in Poland and had been monitoring railway lines used to transport weapons into Ukraine.

Interior minister Mariusz Kaminski said the Internal Security Agency had arrested nine people suspected of spying for Russia in the case.

He said at a news conference in Warsaw that the suspects were preparing “sabotage actions aimed at paralysing the supply of equipment, weapons and aid to Ukraine“.

He said the security agents also seized cameras, electronic equipment and GPS transmitters, which the suspects planned to place on shipments of aid to Ukraine.

Defence minister Mariusz Blaszczak suggested the group had entered from neighbouring Belarus, a Russian ally that borders Nato member Poland.

“The threat was real,” Mr Blaszczak said on state radio.

A 400-year-old hotel that was said to be housing Ukrainian refugees was among buildings engulfed by a fire in Midhurst, West Sussex.

The fire was thought to have broken out shortly after 1am on Thursday at a property on North Street before spreading to the roof of the Angel Inn next door.

Local resident Hilton Holloway, who witnessed the fire, told the PA news agency around 30 people, including some children, were evacuated from the hotel.

British foreign minister James Cleverly said on Thursday that the best way to protect Moldova from attack by Russia was to protect Ukraine.

Asked by reporters whether Britain planned on sending military support to Moldova, Cleverly said: “We strongly believe that one of the best ways of protecting Moldova from physical attack is helping the Ukrainians defend themselves against Russia.”