The Pentagon released a declassified video on Thursday of the moment a Russian jet collided with a US drone, forcing it to crash into the Black Sea. Earlier in the day, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said it was crucial to provide Ukraine with fresh munitions to resist Russia's invasion. Read our live blog for all the latest developments in the war in Ukraine. All times are Paris time (GMT+1).

1:25pm: Poland to send Ukraine 4 MiG-29 jets in coming days, president says

Poland will send Ukraine four MiG-29 fighter jets in the coming days, the president said on Thursday.

"Firstly, literally within the next few days, we will hand over, as far as I remember, four aircraft to Ukraine in full working order," Andrzej Duda told a news conference. "The rest are being prepared, serviced."

1:15pm: Russia is facing 'sanctions war', Putin says

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia was facing a "sanctions war" in his first major address to the country's business elite since the day he ordered tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine last year.

Putin said Russia was swiftly reorienting its economy towards countries that had not hit Russia with sanctions, and thanked business leaders for working to help the Russian state.

11:17am: Pentagon releases video of Black Sea drone incident

The Pentagon on Thursday released a video that shows a Russian military jet coming very close to a US military drone, dumping fuel near it and a damaged propeller in the aftermath of the intercept.

The 42-second video shows a Russian Su-27 approaching the back of the MQ-9 drone and beginning to release fuel as it passes. Dumping the fuel appeared to be aimed at blinding its optical instruments and driving it out of the area, the Pentagon said.

On a second approach, either the same jet or another Russian fighter struck the drone's propeller, damaging one blade.

The US military said it ditched the MQ-9 Reaper in the sea after what it described as the Russian fighter making an unsafe intercept of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

The de-classified video was edited by the US military for length but shows events in a sequential order, the Pentagon said.

Russia has denied US accusations that its jets acted recklessly in the incident on Tuesday over the Black Sea.

Pentagon releases video of collision between Russian jet and a US drone over the Black Sea

10:50am: Best way to protect Moldova from attack is to protect Ukraine, UK foreign minister says

British foreign minister James Cleverly said on Thursday that the best way to protect Moldova from attack by Russia was to protect Ukraine.

Asked by reporters whether Britain planned on sending military support to Moldova, Cleverly said: "We strongly believe that one of the best ways of protecting Moldova from physical attack is helping the Ukrainians defend themselves against Russia."

9:43am: No signs Ukraine is withdrawing troops from Bakhmut, Russian-installed official says

The situation for Russian forces trying to capture the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut is "difficult", because there are no signs Kyiv is ready to order a withdrawal of its troops, the Russian-installed leader of Ukraine's Donetsk region said on Thursday.

Russian forces led by the private Wagner militia have been trying to encircle and capture the eastern Ukrainian city for months in what has turned into one of the bloodiest battles of the year-long war.

Russia, which refers to the city by its Soviet-era name of Artyomovsk, says capturing the city will allow it to launch more offensives deeper into Ukrainian territory which it says it is fighting to "liberate".

Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin has said his forces are in control of practically half the city and only one exit road remains available to Ukrainian forces.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly said he will not withdraw his forces from Bakhmut, even as Kyiv and Western officials have downplayed the strategic significance of the city, which has been decimated by months of artillery shelling and urban combat.

9:33am: Important to ensure rapid munition supplies for Ukraine, Scholz says

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday warned that it was crucial to provide Ukraine as soon as possible with fresh munitions to resist Russia's invasion.

"It is very important that we quickly supply Ukraine with the necessary munitions," Scholz told Germany's lower house of parliament, promising action at an EU summit next week.

9:27am: Poland dismantles Russian spy ring

Polish counterintelligence has dismantled a Russian spy ring, Poland's defence minister said Thursday.

"The whole network has been dismantled," Mariusz Blaszczak told Polish public radio PR1. "It was an espionage group, a group of people who were collecting information for those who attacked Ukraine."

Private Polish radio station RMF, citing unnamed sources, said Wednesday that the ABW, Poland's counter-espionage service, had arrested six foreigners working for the Russian secret service and allegedly preparing for sabotage in Poland.

The suspects were reportedly arrested after the discovery of hidden cameras, which were placed on important railway routes and junctions, recording and transmitting data on traffic.

According to RMF, "dozens of devices" of this type were installed, mainly on sections of railways leading to the country's southeast, including near an airport that is one of the main transfer points for Ukraine-bound Western weapons and ammunition.

Authorities are now on high alert and the security of railroads and strategic infrastructure has been reinforced, according to RMF.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP & Reuters)

Originally published on France24