Russian forces in Ukraine were potentially on the verge of one of their worst defeats of the war after Ukrainian troops captured two villages close to the eastern Russian-occupied stronghold of Lyman.

ANNEXATION

* Russian President Putin proclaimed the annexation of territory seized in his invasion in four regions amounting to 15% of total Ukrainian territory while Kyiv said it would continue its fight to retake occupied land.

* Before signing documents to annex four regions - an act denounced as illegal by Ukraine, the United States, the European Union and the head of the United Nations - Putin delivered a 37-minute anti-Western diatribe.

* President Zelenskiy of Ukraine said it was formally applying for fast-track membership of the NATO military alliance and that Kyiv was ready for talks with Moscow, but not while Putin was president.

* Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution introduced by the United States and Albania condemning Moscow's proclaimed annexations, with Russia's strategic partner China abstaining from the vote.

* The United States responded to the annexations by imposing sanctions on Russia, targeting hundreds of people and companies, including those in Russia's military-industrial complex and lawmakers.

CASUALTIES

* At least 30 civilians were killed and almost 100 wounded in what Kyiv said was a cynical Russian missile strike on a convoy of civilian cars in southern Ukraine.

GAS LEAK

* Putin, without providing evidence, blamed the United States and its allies for blowing up pipelines under the Baltic Sea, raising the temperature in a crisis that has left Europe racing to secure its energy infrastructure and supplies.

* U.S. President Biden said it "was a deliberate act of sabotage and now the Russians are pumping out disinformation and lies," adding that Washington and its allies would send divers to find out what happened.

* The ruptures on the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline system have led to what is likely the biggest single release of climate-damaging methane recorded, the United Nations Environment Programme said.

Reuters