Latest news on Ukraine war: Russian troops pulled from towns on opposite bank of Dnipro River

Ukraine's military said Russia had pulled some troops from towns on the opposite bank of the Dnipro River from Kherson city, the first official Ukrainian report of a Russian withdrawal on what is now the main front line in the south.

* Russia's Defence Ministry and the head of Ukraine's presidential administration said the two countries had swapped 50 service personnel in the latest prisoner exchange between the two sides.

FIGHTING

* Russian rockets pounded neighbourhoods in Kherson knocking out power in the city where electricity had only begun to be restored nearly three weeks after Russian troops left.

* Ukraine's armed forces reported heavy shelling of a number of eastern frontline villages near the city of Bakhmut.

* Ukraine's military said it had found fragments of Russian-fired nuclear-capable missiles with dud warheads in western Ukraine, and that their apparent purpose was to distract air defences.

* Kyiv mayor Vitaliy Klitschko told residents to stock up on water, food and warm clothes in the event of a total blackout caused by Russian strikes.

DIPLOMACY, FOREIGN RESPONSE

* European Union governments tentatively agreed on a $60 a barrel price cap on Russian seaborne oil, with an adjustment mechanism to keep the cap at 5% below the market price, an EU diplomat said.

* Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure have increased the cost to keep Ukraine's economy going next year, adding up to $1 billion a month to previous estimates of $3-$4 billion, the head of the International Monetary Fund told the Reuters NEXT conference.

* The European Union needs patience as it imposes sanctions on Russia as most measures will only have an impact in the medium and long term, Lithuania's prime minister said at  the  Reuters NEXT conference.

* Spain has stepped up security at public and diplomatic buildings after a spate of letter bombs, including one sent to the prime minister and another to the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid, where an official suffered minor injuries.

NUCLEAR

* Ukraine sacked a top engineer at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, accusing him of collaborating with Russian forces, and urged other Ukrainian staff at the plant to remain loyal to the Kyiv government.

QUOTES

* "The West has been trying for many years to ... carry out a takeover raid on the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) to subjugate this last platform for regional dialogue" - Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov.

* "OSCE is on a highway to hell because Russia abuses its rules and principles" - Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba.