Ukraine and Russia launched missile and drone attacks on Thursday ⁠on ⁠vessels in the Black Sea and the Sea ⁠of Azov, stepping up hostilities in a zone vital for grain exports that have triggered a rise in ​global wheat prices.

Russia and Ukraine have traded deadly strikes – including a Russian assault on Kyiv – a day after Ukraine sealed a landmark deal with the European Union expected to boost its drone capabilities and as President Volodomyr Zelenskyy moves to replace his popular defence minister.