Two months later, and Kyiv's small – albeit astonishing – occupation of Russian territory is going strong. Western officials don't understand how.

President Vladimir Putin warned the West on Wednesday that Russia could use nuclear weapons if it was struck with conventional missiles, and that Moscow would consider any assault on it supported by a nuclear power to be a joint attack.

Moscow's forces are poised to capture all of Luhansk, which, along with the neighboring Donetsk Oblast, form the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces have taken control of oil and gas rigs in the Black Sea, the Ukrainian State Border Service (DPSU) said on Wednesday

Ukraine has captured oil rigs in the Black Sea as Kyiv's forces deal another blow to Vladimir Putin's Russian war machine. Posting on Telegram, the Ukrainian State Border Service (DPSU) released images of the battle for the gas production towers near Snake Island,

Ukrainian special forces captured strategic gas platforms in the Black Sea, located near Snake Island. The successful mission was carried out by Ukrainian intelligence services and border police, aiming to reinforce control over a significant portion of the Black Sea,