A captured North Korean soldier has said he did not know he was being sent to fight in a war in Russia and that Pyongyang’s troops are suffering major losses in battle, according to a video released by Ukraine.

North Korea is preparing to send additional troops to Russia, despite their role as “human bait” on the battlefield, a report has warned.

Russia claims to have captured the strategically important Ukrainian town of Velyka Novosilka, as Vladimir Putin ’s forces continue their push in the Donetsk region. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

British intelligence has reported that one-third of the troops deployed alongside Russian forces in Ukraine are already out of action. Pyongyang sent a contingent of 12,000 soldiers to Russia to assist local forces in regaining lost territory in the Kursk region,