Ukrainian special operations forces have given an insight into the brutal, near-suicidal tactics of the North Koreans they have faced in intense fighting in the Russian border region of Kursk.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Wednesday Russia has reported Oscar Jenkins is alive and in custody. The Australian man went to Ukraine to fight against Russia's invasion and was feared dead.

Ukraine has called on the international community, including the OSCE leadership, to properly react to Russia's executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war. — Ukrinform.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated his position that the Russia-Ukraine war should be concluded through negotiations in which both sides must make concessions. — Ukrinform.

On 14 January, Australia summoned Russian ambassador Alexey Pavlovsky to answer questions about Mr Jenkins’s status. “The Russian Federation is obligated to treat all prisoners of war in accordance with international humanitarian law,” a spokesperson said in a statement at the time.

Russian gains in Ukraine have been slowed by personnel shortages, suggesting Moscow may not be able to sustain the war.

An oil refinery in Russia's southern Volgograd region caught fire after an overnight Ukrainian drone attack, but the blaze has now been put out, the regional governor said on Friday.

Moscow's forces have captured Velyka Novosilka in the Donetsk region and about to gain Toretsk, according to reports.

Russia on Sunday claimed its troops had captured a strategically important town in eastern Ukraine, as part of a grinding campaign to weaken Kyiv’s grip on the country’s industrial heartland.

Russia has lost about twice as many men to death and serious injury as Ukraine. But the trends favor the Kremlin.

Ensuring the safety and rights of civilian detainees and prisoners of war (POWs) should be a priority in any future negotiations to end Russia’s war against Ukraine, 31 human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch,