Russia’s Defence Ministry on Saturday said its forces took control of two more settlements in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, the latest in a series of gains it has reported in its steady advance westward.

Ukraine has captured two North Korean soldiers and taken them prisoner, transporting them to Kyiv for questioning in what the country’s security services say is “ irrefutable evidence ” of Pyongyang ’s involvement in Russia’s war. Both soldiers were captured on 9 January in the Russian border region of Kursk, Kyiv said.