Ukraine strikes Russian ships, state-of-the-art aerial defences in Crimea

A Russian military official walks in front of an S-400 'Triumf' missile defence system outside Moscow, Russia, in 2017. Recent destruction of two S-400 systems in Crimea by Ukrainian forces may mean that just three of the sophisticated missile systems are now protecting the Russian-annexed peninsula [File: Yuri Kochetkov/EPA]

Ukraine destroyed state-of-the-art Russian air defences in Crimea and captured two key towns near the eastern city of Bakhmut in the 82nd week of the war.

Ukrainian forces may also have put three modern Russian warships out of action, demonstrating an increasing ability to attack enemy assets at range while maintaining the momentum of their territorial gains.