Putin welcomes '16,000 mostly Middle Eastern' volunteers for invasion

Russian President Vladimir Putin has welcomed the recruitment of "16,000 mostly Middle Eastern volunteers" in support of his Ukraine invasion, the Ministry of Defence said.

Mercenary fighters from Syria have been deployed alongside Russian proxy forces in Libya since late in 2020, the MOD added.

Russian forces appear to have made slow progress from northeast Ukraine in their push to reach the capital Kyiv.

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Their tanks and artillery have bombarded areas with such heavy shelling it stopped residents of one city from burying an increasing number of dead.

Until recently, Russia's troops had made their biggest advances on cities in the east and south while struggling in the north and around Kyiv.

They also have started targeting areas in western Ukraine, where large numbers of refugees have fled.