European Council is ready to grant Ukraine €9bn to aid in its post-war reconstruction – as it happened

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The Tass news agency is reporting that grain is being shipped from Kherson, which the Russians now occupy, to Russia.

They quote Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the military-civilian administration that has been imposed on Kherson, as saying We have space to store (the new crop) although we have a lot of grain here. People are now partially taking it out, having agreed with those who buy it from the Russian side."

Brigade and battalion commanders likely deploy forwards into harm's way because they are held to an uncompromising level of responsibility for their units' performance.

Similarly, junior officers have had to lead the lowest level tactical actions, as the army lacks the cadre of highly trained and empowered non-commissioned officers (NCOs) who fulfil that role in Western forces.