NEWS GENIX

  Fierce battles have been reported as Ukraine tries to retake the Russian-occupied southern Kherson region - but military experts have told the BBC it "won't happen quickly". "Heavy fighting is continuing, our soldiers are working around the clock," said Vitaliy Kim, who heads the neighbouring Mykolaiv region. Ukraine earlier said it had broken through Russia's first line of defence. But Russia said Ukrainian troops had been defeated during a failed attack. The defence ministry in Moscow also said there had been heavy casualties among the Ukrainian forces, but the claims by both Ukraine and Russia have not been independently verified. Kherson became the first major Ukrainian city to fall into Russian hands in the opening days of Moscow's invasion that began on 24 February. What weapons are being supplied to Ukraine? How risky is stand-off over Ukraine's nuclear plant? Top Ukrainian military officials have been tight-lipped about giving too many deta...

  Russia's president has signed a decree which could see 137,000 service personnel added to the country's armed forces in the coming months. Currently Russia has a limit of just over a million military personnel and almost 900,000 civilian staff. Vladimir Putin's decree comes amid a recruitment drive around the country, with large cash incentives on offer. Western officials say 70-80,000 troops have been killed or wounded since Russia invaded Ukraine six months ago. There have been reports that recruiters have even been visiting prisons, promising inmates freedom and money. The UK Ministry of Defence said in a statement two weeks ago that volunteer battalions being set up in several Russian regions were likely to form part of a new army corps. But it said "very limited levels of popular enthusiasm for volunteering for combat in Ukraine" meant it would be difficult to find the required number of troops. Russia had initially promised a short, decisive campaign when ...