Ukraine confirmed on Tuesday evening that it had recovered 20 square kilometers from the Russian forces in the vicinity of Bakhmut, where battles have been taking place for months and where Moscow is facing difficulties.

And Kiev, which repelled at night a barrage of Russian missiles, received support from London in terms of its endeavor to obtain the F-16 fighters that it has been demanding for months to enhance its capabilities to repel Russia.

The British government presidency indicated on Tuesday that London intends to build an "international coalition" to help Ukraine obtain F-16 fighter jets, following a meeting between Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte.

A statement from the British government's presidency indicated that the two men agreed, at the meeting held on the occasion of a summit of the Council of Europe in Iceland, to "work together to build an international coalition to provide Ukraine with air combat capabilities (...) starting with training and ending with the delivery of F-16 fighters."

This comes in the midst of the battles taking place in Bakhmut, where the clashes have been concentrated for weeks, and where the Ukrainian army was able to regain lands in the north and south of the city, and to break the semi-tight seal on the city, of which the Russians control more than 90 percent.

"In recent days, our forces have liberated about 20 square kilometers north and south of the outskirts of Bakhmut," Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Gana Malyar said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky played down the expectations, stressing that it was not the expected large-scale counterattack that Kiev had been preparing for months and that its army needed "more time" to accomplish it.

Malyar stated that Russian forces continue to advance inside the city itself, besieging the last pockets of Ukrainian resistance in the west, "and completely destroying the city with artillery bombardment."

And the head of the Russian Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, announced in an audio recording that, "Today, Wagner units advanced 200 meters and now occupy 113,000 square meters. The enemy controls only 1.46 km in Bakhmut."

And on the night of Tuesday-Wednesday, Ukraine confirmed that it had repelled a barrage of Russian missiles and shot down six Russian hypersonic missiles of the Kinjal model, which Russia claims are impossible to intercept, and 12 missiles, including Kalibr, S-400 anti-aircraft and ballistic Iskander, as well as Iranian-made drones.

On the other hand, Moscow confirmed that the missiles "hit all its targets", including points of "deployment of the Ukrainian armed forces" and stores of ammunition and Western weapons.

AFP journalists in Kiev watched as Ukrainian air defenses were launched, lighting up the sky to destroy Russian missiles targeting the capital.

The Russian military confirmed that it also destroyed the US Patriot system in Kiev and intercepted seven long-range British Storm Shadow missiles, which London announced its delivery last week.

According to Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko, three people were injured in the attack, which took place hours before the arrival of Chinese envoy Li Hui to Ukraine for a two-day visit.

Li Hui, the special representative for Eurasian affairs in charge of discussing a settlement to the conflict in Ukraine, and the former Chinese ambassador to Moscow will discuss a "political settlement" of the war in Ukraine. He will also visit Poland, France, Germany and Russia.

China, Russia's close ally, has not publicly condemned Russia's military intervention in Ukraine, unlike most of the world's major powers.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Tuesday that a peace mission led by six African leaders would go "as soon as possible" to Ukraine and Russia, adding that Kiev and Moscow had "agreed to receive it".

This new Russian night attack also comes the day after Zelensky returned to Kiev after a European tour, during which he visited Italy, Germany, France and the United Kingdom.

"I am returning to my country with (...) new powerful weapons for the front," Zelensky said in a video message. The Ukrainian President's tour lasted one day in the United Kingdom, where he received pledges to supply his country with air defense missiles.

On the diplomatic front, the 46 member states of the Council of Europe meet Tuesday in Iceland to confirm unity in the face of Moscow.

This meeting, only the fourth of the 75-year-old European organization, aims to increase ways of holding Russia criminally responsible for the devastation and crimes caused by its invasion of Ukraine.

On Tuesday, the Council of Europe launched a "damage record" resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron announced at the opening of the summit.

Macron has proposed building hundreds of mental health centers in Ukraine to treat trauma from the war.

Another important issue is that the extension of the agreement on Ukrainian grain exports was still uncertain Tuesday, while the Kremlin said Tuesday that "many questions" still need to be addressed.