Ukraine and Russia: What you need to know right now

(Reuters) - Ukraine's allies announced delivery of new air defences and committed more military aid to Kyiv after intense Russian missile strikes and in anticipation of fighting through a harsh winter.

DIPLOMACY

* Three-quarters of the 193-member General Assembly - 143 countries - condemned Russia's "attempted illegal annexation" of four partially occupied regions in Ukraine and called on all countries not to recognise the move.

* Presidents Putin of Russia and Erdogan of Turkey will meet for talks in Kazakhstan on Thursday; Turkey is likely to raise ideas for peace in Ukraine, a Kremlin aide said.

* Putin will also meet Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in Kazakhstan, to discuss politics, trade and energy, the aide said.

* The Kremlin scolded Western leaders for engaging in "provocative" nuclear rhetoric after a series of warnings from Russia, the United States and NATO on the dangers of the Ukraine conflict becoming a nuclear war.

* A flurry of military activity in Belarus this week is seen in Ukraine and the West as a potential sign that President Lukashenko may commit the army to support Russia's war effort.

CONFLICT

* The top U.S. general on Wednesday condemned indiscriminate Russian missile strikes on Ukraine that killed civilians, suggesting they met the definition of war crimes.

* At least seven people were killed and eight injured in a Russian strike on a crowded market in the town of Avdiivka, the governor of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region said.

* Russia's Federal Security Service said that it had detained five Russians and three citizens of Ukraine and Armenia over the explosion that damaged the Crimea Bridge last Saturday. Ukraine dismissed Russia's investigation into the blast as "nonsense".

* Russia hit about 30% of Ukraine's energy infrastructure in its missile attacks on Monday and Tuesday, Ukraine's energy minister said.

ECONOMY

* Ukraine needs about $55 billion - $38 billion to cover next year's estimated budget deficit, and a further $17 billion to start to rebuild critical infrastructure, including schools, housing and energy facilities, President Zelenskiy said.

* Putin said Europe was to blame for its energy crisis with policies that starved the oil and gas industry of investment and said price caps would make it worse, as EU states tried to forge a deal on ways to contain soaring energy costs.

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* Already blighted by Western sanctions, Russia's economy now faces a more self-inflicted blow, with Putin's military mobilisation drive threatening to undermine productivity, demand and recovery.

* The United States is starting to see success with discussions of a Russian oil price cap, as Washington has heard countries are negotiating deals with Russia to buy oil far below the benchmark Brent crude price, a U.S. Treasury official said.