A young Russian man has been captured after he set fire to Moscow's notorious ‘Gates of Hell' in a protest against Russia's continued invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian Defence Ministry said on Thursday its forces had captured another village in eastern Ukraine as it advances westward through the region of Donetsk more than three years into its invasion of its smaller neighbour.

Foreign secretary David Lammy has condemned the latest Russian strikes on Ukraine as “abhorrent”. The Foreign Secretary said the "barbaric aggression only strengthens our resolve" to support Kyiv, after further strikes over the weekend.

Ukrainian troops are reportedly making gains along three parts of the front as Russian forces face a manpower shortage and poor command. One pro-Moscow military blogger has lamented how Ukrainian forces are exerting growing pressure on Russian troops in the Donetsk region, as a map shows the latest state of play.

1/ Recent Russian setbacks in the Ukrainian city of Toretsk are being blamed by Russian warbloggers on a familiar problem – commanders lying about their successes and taking the city 'on credit' rather than in real life. https://t.co/miaQ48FLDj

KYIV: Russia said Saturday (Mar 8) its troops had retaken three villages seized by Ukraine in its Kursk border region, in a fresh setback for Kyiv ahead of talks to try to end the war. Ukrainian Presi

Russian forces have recaptured two settlements in the country's western Kursk region where Ukrainian troops broke across the border and seized a chunk of territory last August, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.