Ukraine has pushed Russian forces out of 26 villages across the Donetsk, Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia regions this year, reclaiming 745 square kilometres of territory between January and August, according to Kyiv. Russian military losses in the same period totalled at least 9,550 killed and more than 6,600 wounded, Ukrainian officials said.
The battlefield developments coincided with an attack on the Russian port city of Novorossiysk overnight into Wednesday that killed at least three people and wounded 24. Russia's defence ministry said it destroyed 502 Ukrainian drones overnight.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization expressed support for Poland and Romania, condemning recent Russian incursions into their airspace. Kyiv has separately asked NATO for mine-clearing equipment to support operations on liberated land.