In the United States and Europe, there is growing uncertainty about how to counter Putin’s aggression without stoking a direct conflict with Russia.

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia was ramping up drone production by around ten times to nearly 1.4 million this year in a bid to ensure the Russian armed forces win in Ukraine.

Since Russia's military intervention in Ukraine began in February 2022, the conflict has heavily relied on artillery and drone strikes along a 1,000-km (620-mile) front, involving hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

According to documents obtained by the Ukrainian military and shared with The Guardian, Russia's military command foresaw Ukraine's August 6 incursion and failed to act on warnings from those in the region. Newsweek has contacted the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment on the reports.

Vladimir Putin's military command was preparing for a potential incursion into Russia's Kursk region months in advance, according to seized army documents.

Russia's campaign of air strikes on Ukraine's energy grid probably violates international humanitarian law, a U.N. monitoring body said on Thursday, as Ukrainians prepare for the toughest winter since Russia's invasion.

The Russian president issued his sternest warning to date about the use of Western weapons in Ukraine ahead of a meeting of British and U.S. leaders.

A senior Russian lawmaker on Thursday said that Ukrainian strikes on Russia with Western missiles would lead to global war with the use of nuclear weapons and that Moscow's response would be tough with more powerful weapons.

A close ally of President Vladimir Putin warned Western governments on Thursday that a nuclear war would ensue if they gave the green light for Ukraine to use long-range Western weapons to strike targets deep inside Russia.