Russia has removed a senior general in Ukraine for giving misleading reports about the progress of the war as Defence Minister Andrei Belousov tries to clear out poor commanders, pro-Russian war bloggers and Russian media said.

The Kremlin on Friday said Russia's launch of an experimental ballistic missile against Ukraine should be understood as a warning to the West, as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte convened a key meeting to discuss the implications of the strike.

Russia’s use of a nuclear-capable ballistic missile marks a decisive, and potentially dangerous moment in Moscow’s conflict with the West.

Russia’s use of a new nuclear-capable hypersonic ballistic missile in Ukraine is not only escalating the war but lobbing an unmistakable threat at Europe and the West.