Ukraine-Russia war latest: Russian fighter-bomber 'shot down over Donetsk'; Ukraine faces another wave of Russian drones

We're pausing our live coverage of the war in Ukraine for the time being - thanks for tuning in. 

This footage shows Russian troops preparing for a Victory Day parade in the Red Square in Moscow. 

The event comes just days after Vladimir Putin's fifth inauguration as president of Russia. 

By Sean Bell, military analyst 

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed that Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian Su-25 fighter-bomber jet over the Donetsk region yesterday.   

The Russian fighter - codenamed Frogfoot by NATO - is primarily used to provide close air support for Russian frontline troops. 

Pre-war the Russians had between 70 and 80 serviceable Su-25s, but Ukraine claims to have shot down around six of these to date.

But is this loss important in the broader scheme of the war?

Fresh Western supplies of weapons are starting to arrive in Ukraine, and the expectation is that air defence missiles would probably be the first priority. 

Ukraine's claim that it has shot down 23 of 24 Russian drones last night and the successful targeting of one of its fighter jets also suggests that Ukraine is stabilising its defensive posture.  

However, on the frontline, reports suggest that Russian forces have made further advances, taking several more communities - including Ocheretyne.  

Military experts believe that Ukraine is making a "managed withdrawal" from key sites to trade territory for time - in anticipation of the arrival of fresh supplies of Western military aid.

Military offensives generally incur significantly greater losses for the attacking force than that defending. 

The UK's Ministry of Defence has reported that Russia's April offensive action has resulted in 899 Russian casualties per day, which is higher than at the peak of the attritional battle for Bakhmut. 

However, it has proven very difficult to secure reliable figures for the Ukraine war, with Russia playing down the scale of its losses, and Kyiv avoiding reporting specific numbers.

Regardless, it seems likely that Vladimir Putin will be keen to avoid another round of Russian mobilisation for fear of highlighting the growing numbers of Russian casualties.  

Instead,  Russia is reported to be recruiting foreign nationals to bolster its army, with the latest target being Cuba.  

It is reported that Cuban recruits have been offered monthly salaries of up to £1600 per month, when their average salary in Cuba is around £20 per month. 

The package naturally appears attractive, particularly if recruits are initially told that they will not serve on the frontline.

Until the resupply of Western weapons and ammunition arrives, it looks likely that Russia will continue to capitalise on Ukraine's shortage of weapons to push forward and secure as much territory as possible in the Donbas.  

And Ukraine will seek to ensure Russia pays a high price for every metre of ground ceded.  

These images show members of the 93rd Kholodnyi war separate mechanised brigade celebrating Orthodox Easter on the frontlines of Russia's war against Ukraine. 

The Ukrainian troops are fighting in Donetsk, where much of Russia's military focus is. 

This footage shows firefighters battling a blaze in Kharkiv in the early hours of yesterday morning. 

The region was consistently targeted yesterday, with several drone and shelling attacks across the area.

Russia's targeting of Ukrainian energy infrastructure with drones and missiles has cost Kyiv some £1bn (£796m), the country's energy minister has claimed. 

German Galushchenko said that, since mid-March, Russian forces have been attacking Ukrainian thermal and hydropower stations - as well as main networks - on an almost daily basis.

This has led to blackouts in many regions.

"Today, we are talking about the amounts of losses for more than a billion dollars," he said.

"But the attacks continue, and it is obvious that the losses will grow," he added. 

By Sean Bell, military analyst 

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has adopted nine major sanctions on North Korea in response to the country's nuclear and missile activities since 2006.  

In June of that year, the UNSC established an embargo on exports of major arms to and imports from North Korea. 

In June 2009, it widened the embargo to all arms, except for the export small arms and light weapons to the country, before eventually banning those too in 2015.

Russia was a signatory to those embargoes.

Yet, late last year, a series of Russian senior leadership visits to North Korea were focused on solving Russia's growing demand for weapons, artillery shells and missiles to support its war in Ukraine.  

Although Russia has denied that it imports North Korean weapons, the Royal United Service Institute (RUSI) has been tracking ships transporting weapons to Russia.  

It has tracked four Russian cargo ships, each transporting hundreds of containers.

Estimates suggest that over 7,000 containers carrying over one million ammunition shells, rockets and missiles have been sold to Russia by North Korea since a deal was struck last year.

Russia denies that it is importing any North Korean weapons.

However, an inspector from the Conflict Arms Research team based in Ukraine has been studying the remains of a series of missiles fired at Ukrainian targets this year and has made a series of important discoveries.  

According to reports, parts of the missile remains included characters only used in the Korean alphabet, and the number '112' was stamped into parts of the missile - '2023' in the Korean calendar.

Closer investigation of hundreds of electronic components revealed that the missiles were "bursting" with Western technology.  

Most of the electronics were manufactured in the US or Europe, and were sourced over the past few years.  

Despite supposedly significant sanctions, North Korea has managed to illicitly procure large quantities of Western technology, assemble missiles and sell them to Russia to be used in its war in Ukraine.

Although the North Korean weapons might not be very effective, they are cheap, so can be procured in large quantities and used to degrade Ukrainian air defence systems.

Quantity has a quality all of its own - so what is the point of sanctions if they can so easily be bypassed?  

North Korea is evidently profiting from its arms export arrangement with Russia, which will create further opportunities for Pyongyang to expand arms exports as a vital source of revenue - to grow its economy and military capability.  

Not to mention it undermines the authority of the UN - given that Russia is a signatory to the ban on North Korean arms exports, yet is flagrantly ignoring this ban to meet its wartime needs.

Yet, the UN appears powerless to enforce its own sanctions.

Russia claims it has taken complete control of the village of Ocheretyne in eastern Ukraine. 

The village, which lies northwest of the former Ukrainian stronghold of Avdiivka, which Russia captured in February, had a pre-war population of around 3,000. 

Russia has made steady advances since taking Avdiivka, and this would mark the latest in a string of villages in the area to fall into Moscow's grasp. 

These images show Russian servicemen and women preparing for the annual Victory Day parade in Moscow. 

On the 9 May, the military will march through the Red Square in front of Vladimir Putin - who will have been sworn in once again as president days earlier (see 9.04am post).

The parade will showcase Russian military hardware with vehicles, aircraft and soldiers all taking the stage.

Russian forces are continuing to advance west of Avdiivka, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

The US-based thinktank said it had geolocated footage showing Russian soldiers advancing near Arkhanhelske, which is just northwest of the Russian-held city. 

Fighting has intensified in villages like Arkhanhelske near Avdiivka, and further north around Chasiv Yar in recent weeks. 

"ISW assesses that the Russian seizure of Arkhanhelske also indicates that Russian forces likely control Keramik and Novokalynove (both southeast of Arkhanhelske)," it said. 

It also said it had noted Ukrainian forces withdrawing from northern Arkhanhelske. 

"Ukrainian forces may have decided to trade space for time as they wait for the arrival of US aid to the frontline at scale in the coming weeks - an appropriate decision for an under-resourced force at risk of being outflanked," it said. 

"Russian forces appear to be choosing to exploit the tactical situation northwest of Avdiivka - a sound military undertaking - but their ultimate objective in this frontline sector remains unclear."

Here's the latest battlefield situation on the ground...