Ukraine-Russia war latest: Devastation of Ukrainian town laid bare in drone footage - as Russia 'shifting battlefield focus'

Washington has accused Moscow of violating an international treaty by using a First World War-era chemical weapon in Ukraine.

The state department said Russia has deployed the choking agent chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops and used riot control agents "as a method of warfare".

According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, chloropicrin is an irritant "with characteristics of a tear gas".

It was used by Germany against allied troops during the First World War but has since been banned for military use.

"The use of such chemicals is not an isolated incident and is probably driven by Russian forces' desire to dislodge Ukrainian forces from fortified positions and achieve tactical gains on the battlefield," the state department said in a statement. 

The Russian embassy didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

In Ukraine's partially occupied Donetsk region, troops continue to fight back against Russian forces on the frontline.

Moscow is heavily focusing on the eastern region, where it claims to have captured several towns and villages.

In these pictures, Ukrainian soldiers fire a howitzer at Russian positions.

The US has imposed new sanctions on three people connected to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Mr Navalny died at a remote Arctic prison in February in unknown circumstances.

Russian authorities say he died of natural causes while his supporters believe he was killed. Western leaders quickly held Vladimir Putin responsible - but a US intelligence report earlier this week found the Russian president likely didn't directly order Mr Navalny's death.

The three individuals are among hundreds of people and entities targeted in Washington's new round of Russia-related sanctions.

A notice on the treasury's website said companies connected to Russia's Arctic liquefied natural gas 2 project were among those hit with sanctions.

Restrictions have also been slapped on Russian air carrier Pobeda, a subsidiary of the country's largest airline Aeroflot.

Ukrainian ground troops have been handed 20 new Toyota pickup trucks through funds allocated to one of the military's brigades.

Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, said 60 million hryvnias (£1.2m) has been set aside by the capital for the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the Ground Forces.

The trucks were purchased for half of this amount, he said.

Thanking Kyiv for the donation, Major Maksym Zhorin, deputy commander of the third brigade, said the vehicles were "extremely important" as they are used for evacuating soldiers, deliveries and some logistics tasks.

Three children have been "rescued" from Russian-occupied territory in Kherson, the Ukrainian regional governor has said.

Oleksandr Prokudin said a girl aged 11, and two boys, nine and 11, were receiving psychological help and medical care after the "rescue mission".

The governor said 66 children from Kherson had been returned to territory controlled by Ukraine since the start of the war. 

Kherson is one of Ukraine's southernmost regions.

It lends its name to the region's capital city in the northwest, which was the first major city to fall to the Russians after they invaded in 2022.

At least 19,500 children have been confirmed as abducted by Russia since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to the Children of War database.

If you're just joining us or briefly dipping in, here's a quick rundown of all the key events so far today:

• Russia's focus on the battlefield may be shifting north of Avdiivka, according to a leading US thinktank. It said troops appear to be concentrating more in the direction of Chasiv Yar;
• Keeping on Chasiv Yar, drone footage released by Ukraine's police patrol shows the scale of bombardment in the city. Russian aggression is thought to be focusing there due to its potential to lead to cities further in the east;
• Two people have died and six people have been injured - including an 11-year-old boy - after Russian guided bombs struck the region of Kharkiv;
• The Russian military claimed it has attacked the headquarters of the Ukrainian army's southern grouping. The attack was carried out using Russian air force missiles and artillery, Moscow's defence ministry said. 

An exhibition showing more than 30 pieces of Western military equipment captured from Ukrainian forces has opened in the Russian capital.

A US-made M1 Abrams battle tank, a Leopard 2 tank and a Marder armoured infantry vehicle from Germany, and a French-made AMX-10RC armoured vehicle are on display.

The month-long exhibit at the Second World War memorial in Moscow was branded a "brilliant idea" by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

The Russian authorities have criticised supplies of Western weapons and military equipment to Ukraine, casting them as evidence of NATO's direct involvement in the conflict.

Britain, the US and the European Union are pressing the United Arab Emirates to show it is cracking down on firms evading sanctions imposed on Russia.

Three separate Western sources said they are particularly concerned about the UAE exporting computer chips, electronics, machinery and other sanctioned products to Russia that could be used to aid Moscow's military effort against Ukraine.

Some exports have increased since Russia was hit with Western sanctions, the sources claimed.

Western states implemented sanctions against Russia soon after the war began in February 2022 but other countries do not necessarily have to apply them too.

A UAE official said it remains in close dialogue with its international partners, including the US and EU, concerning the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and its implications for the global economy.

Months of Russian artillery strikes have devastated the strategically important town of Chasiv Var in eastern Ukraine.

Drone footage - reminiscent of Bakhmut after its capture by Moscow's forces last year - lays bare the effects of strikes on the town, once home to 12,000 people.

Russia's focus may be shifting more towards Chasiv Yar, which is around 80km north of Avdiivka, as if captured it would make it easier for Moscow to advance further in the east.

Ukraine hopes to store 4bn cubic metres of gas from foreign companies and traders this winter despite an increase in Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. 

Oleksiy Chernyshov, chief executive of state energy company Naftogaz, said Russia had attacked company infrastructure five times since March.

The company is working on strengthening defences that can protect vulnerable above ground gas facilities, but stresses it has underground facilities big enough to store 31bn cubic metres.

That's enough for Ukraine's annual needs and surplus storage from Europe. 

Storing gas helps Ukraine to make a profit while providing Europe with additional supply flexibility after the continent cut Russian gas imports at the start of the war.