Ukrainian troops have made confirmed advances near Bakhmut, Donetsk, and Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia, according to the Institute for the Study of War. “Geolocated footage posted on 30 October shows that Ukrainian forces have advanced northeast of Kurdyumivka (10km southwest of Bakhmut),” it said. Ukrainian forces have also “marginally advanced” west of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia, according to geolocated footage seen by the think tank. It comes as Kyiv said it had “successfully hit a strategic object of the air defence system” in western Crimea. Russian sources said the attack was carried out using “combined” long-range weapons like ATACMS, storm shadow missiles and sea drones. The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed its air defence systems destroyed eight Storm Shadow cruise missiles over the peninsula. If confirmed, this would be the first time Ukraine has used the top-tier missile system provided by the US to hit targets on the Crimean coast. Meanwhile, Russia has bulked up its forces around the devastated city of Bakhmut in the east and has switched its troops from a defensive posture to taking “active actions”, a Ukrainian military commander said. Read More Ukrainian officials say Russian shelling killed a 91-year-old woman in a 'terrifying night' The storming of Dagestan airport: How a thousand protestors caused shutdown and carnage in Russia Moscow succession: What would happen if Putin dies?