Russia's deputy foreign minister has said the country is considering deploying medium- and shorter-range missiles to Asia.

Russian forces are advancing in Ukraine at the fastest rate since the early months of the war, according to a respected US-based thinktank. Battlefield reports indicate Moscow is edging closer to the key logistics town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk.

One recruit told the Financial Times that he was forced to sign an enlistment contract that he could not read before being sent to Ukraine.