Russia has removed a senior general in Ukraine for giving misleading reports about the progress of the war as Defence Minister Andrei Belousov tries to clear out poor commanders, pro-Russian war bloggers and Russian media said.

The Kremlin on Friday said Russia's launch of an experimental ballistic missile against Ukraine should be understood as a warning to the West, as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte convened a key meeting to discuss the implications of the strike.

It began with a peace move nobody wanted and ended with an experimental missile strike so rare in war Moscow gave a 30-minute heads-up to Washington.

This past week has seen the most significant escalation in hostilities Ukraine has witnessed since Russia’s full-scale invasion and marks a new chapter in the nearly three-year war.

In the week that saw the conflict pass its 1000th day, Western powers substantially boosted Ukraine's military arsenal - and the Kremlin made its loudest threats yet of a nuclear strike. Here is how the last week played out - and what it means.