These images purport to show Donetsk People’s Republic artillery taking out fortified Ukrainian positions.

The footage shows a series of explosions which appear to be artillery shells exploding as they impact the ground.

The footage was obtained from the People’s Militia of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) on Tuesday, 1st November, along with a statement claiming: “Strongholds of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Avdiivka area are being destroyed by ‘Krasnopol’ guided missiles.

“To ensure the advancement of the assault groups of the People’s Militia of the DPR in the Avdiivka area, our artillery used high-precision weapons – 152-mm ‘Krasnopol’ guided missiles, with the help of which a number of key enemy strongholds were destroyed. The attack continues.”

We have not been able to independently verify the claims or the footage. The Krasnopol is a Soviet-era, cannon-launched, semi-automatic, laser-guided, artillery weapon system.

Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 252nd day of the war.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 2nd November, Russia had lost about 73,270 personnel, 2,714 tanks, 5,525 armoured combat vehicles, 1,733 artillery units, 387 multiple launch rocket systems, 198 air defence systems, 277 warplanes, 258 helicopters, 1,438 drones, 397 cruise missiles, 16 warships, 4,153 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 154 units of special equipment.

Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.

Ukrainian military intelligence said on Tuesday that Iran is planning to send over 200 combat drones to Russian forces sometime in early November, including a new model, the Arash-2.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko is making preparations to open approximately 1,000 public heating points to city residents.

This comes after Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, met with Kadri Simson, the European Union Commissioner for Energy, and said that Russian missile and drone strikes have “seriously damaged” about 40 per cent of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Ukraine has been forced to cease electricity exports to Europe as a result.

Zelensky said that a long-term defence plan is required for Ukraine’s grain export corridor and that any attempt by Russia to disrupt it must be met with a firm response, after Moscow pulled out of the UN-brokered deal.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has said that the Russian authorities in the occupied part of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine have moved their administration further south to Skadovsk, a port city on the Black Sea, ahead of an anticipated push south by Ukrainian forces to retake the city of Kherson.

Civilians in an area along the eastern bank of the Dnieper River were reportedly told to leave by Russian officials on Tuesday. This represents a significant extension of an evacuation order for the area that Ukraine says is a forced depopulation of the occupied territory.

The Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom has said that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Russian Wagner Group private military company stated on 23rd October that Wagner forces were “making advances of 100-200m per day”.

Prigozhin reportedly claimed this was “normal in modern warfare”.

But the UK MoD said Russian forces “plan to advance 30km or more per day in most conditions”, adding: “In February, Russian forces planned to make a 1000km advance through Ukraine within a month. In September, Ukrainian forces achieved advances of over 20km per day.

“In the last two months, Prigozhin has abandoned any pretence that he is not associated with Wagner and has been more explicit in his public statements. He is likely trying to burnish his credibility within the stressed Russian national security system.”