Brutal Chechen warlord who Ukraine say is dead sparks bizarre Russian propaganda war

Ukraine means that there have been as yet no publicly acknowledged deaths of troops from Moscow. Instead, the worst-hit regions for the heavy losses - held by critics to be “cannon fodder” - are remote from Vladimir Putin’s capital city.

To stay up to date with all the latest news, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.While savage, Putin's invasion of Ukraine has been one of bungled efforts, confusion, deserting Russian soldiers and comes at a great cost to the Russian forces. The Daily Star previously reported that Vladimir Putin's "best fighters", the 331st Guards Parachute Regiment, have lost 29 soldiers since the war began, and France24 reports the Russian despot has lost seven of his top military generals according to Ukraine officials.

Russian president Vladimir Putin is ­using a body double over fears he will be ­assassinated, it has been claimed. Sources believe the leader is afraid that military chiefs could stage a coup after he fired eight senior generals for their failure to ­capture Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was suffering with thyroid cancer and Parkinson's Disease when he ordered the Ukrainian invasion.These clues follow Putin's recent public appearances where the despot's "strong man" image was marred by looking "bloated" and "weakened". And in November last year a Russian political analyst revealed the despot had been struck by both cancer and Parkinson's Disease, while a separate source claimed he had undergone surgery for abdominal cancer, reports The Mirror.

Tonight on SNL, Weekend Update‘s anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che made every Will Smith joke they’d been holding onto over the course of the past week, following the Oscar winner’s slap of Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards.

Russian Army gaffe after the "pathetic" force were recorded leaving troops behind in a snowy wilderness in Ukraine. In the 40-second bird's eye view clip, the soldiers are seen filing into the Z-marked truck before it takes off and suddenly two troops are pictured running after the vehicle.

Wrestlemania weekend, here's another one for you - in the raspy style of Mr McMahon: It's gonna be 'Big Bad' Vlad versus 'The Pain from Ukraine' Zelenskyy inside HELL IN A CELL!!All jokes aside though, this fight is actually happening. Or at least, it will be to the untrained eye.

Vladimir Putin is ­using a body double to avoid ­being ­assassinated. The Russian president fears military chiefs could stage a coup after he fired eight senior generals for their failure to ­capture Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin once wanted to spend £24million on an acrobatic rock’n’roll centre for his daughter.The Russian President's youngest had a senior role in the development of the sport, Reuters revealed in 2016, and so the leader wanted to splash the cash to build a centre for the activity. The Zhavoronki Acrobatic Rock’n’Roll Center was proposed to be built on the western outskirts of Moscow, making it the only specialised facility in the world for the sport.Katerina Tikhonova, Putin's daughter, competed several times in acrobatic rock'n'roll, a form of dance that’s performed as a couple or as a group.

Vladimir Putin has lost another colonel during fierce fighting in Ukraine, which serves as further proof that the Russian leader's war isn't going according to plan. Lt Col Vitaly Slabtsov, 43, was an elite paratrooper buried with full military honours, say reports.The body of the commander was placed in a closed coffin with a Russian flag draped over it, indicating he had suffered devastating wounds in the war.

Vladimir Putin's best' fighters have suffered heavy losses during fierce fighting in Ukraine, it has been reported.The 331st Guards Parachute Regiment is considered among the most fearsome and well-trained in the Russian army, having fought for the city of Ilovaisk in the Donbas in 2014.But their involvement in Russia's invasion of Ukraine has exposed how the invasion hasn't gone as planned due to the number of fatalities they've suffered, Mirror reports.The regiment's commanding officer, Col Sergei Sukharev and deputy Major Sergei Krylov were killed in Ukraine on March 13 - a major blow for any military unit. According to the BBC, in the month since the invasion began, at least 37 other members of the 331st have lost their lives in Ukraine.

Pope Francis has said was considering visiting Kyiv as he condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin for launching a “savage” war. Speaking after his arrival in Malta, he delivered his most pointed and personalised denunciation yet of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian soldiers have been recorded clearing away dangerous anti-tank mines from a road with their feet.The footage, which has been shared across social media, shows the soldiers moving Russian mines to the side to allow vehicles to pass.According to reports, this road is a route out of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and mines have been left by Vladimir Putin’s troops as they fall back.The anti-tank mines require a large amount of pressure to denote but they are still a dangerous explosive.However, these Ukrainian soldiers appear relatively calm as they kick the mines to the sides of the road to clear a path through.The bravery of these soldiers comes after footage of a civilian in Kyiv Oblast was captured driving carefully through dozens of mines left by Russian forces.The mines were placed carefully in rows of four but the dangers of these mines did not stop Ukrainian civilians from precariously chancing their luck.Footage shows several drivers going through the mines with the slightest mistake in their vehicle potentially leading to their death.Of the cars captured in the footage, all drivers managed to successfully navigate through the mines.In a report by Human Rights Watch, Russian troops have been placing POM-3 landmines, which are believed to be banned under international treaties.The US-based group said the mines were discovered in the besieged city of Kharkiv on Monday. Speaking to the Independent, Steve Goose, arms director of Human Rights Watch, said: “Countries around the world should forcefully condemn Russia’s use of banned antipersonnel landmines in Ukraine.

Russian troops are reported to have executed 13 Ukrainian civilians as they attempted to flee the capital of Kyiv.The bodies of the deceased were found along the E-40 motorway, which has been dubbed the “Highway of Death”.Vladimir Putin’s troops were focused on trying to take the capital of Kyiv but have failed in their attempts as a large number of citizens fled the city.According to the BBC, the bodies were found on the same stretch of road where Russian troops were recorded executing a couple last month.Two of the deceased have been identified but the identities of the others are yet to be confirmed.The stretch of road, which is located between the villages of Mria and Myla, is a scene of destruction with dozens of burned out cars, petrol stations and numerous buildings in ruins.According to the BBC, the couple killed last month were Maksim Iowenko and his wife Ksjena.They are said to have been killed when the 10 vehicle civilian convoy was attacked by a Russian tank.Maksim got out of the car and raised his hands but he was shot dead along with his wife.His six-year-old son and an elderly friend both survived after being captured and later released by Russian forces.The reports come as a Russian fuel depot, one of their main logistics hubs, was attacked with Moscow officials claiming it was an attack by Ukrainian helicopters.Ukraine said it would neither confirm nor deny responsibility for the huge fire at the fuel depot in the Russian city of Belgorod.

Vladimir Putin could be suffering from a "Napoleon complex" that has pushed the world to the brink of war, an expert has claimed.The Russian President is just 5ft 7ins tall, which is three inches smaller than the average Russian and may explain Putin's maniacal behaviour.The image-conscious president could join a list of rulers including Napoleon, Hitler and Stalin as failed leaders whose height got the better of them, leading to the provocation of bloody wars in Europe.Professor Abraham Buunk and Professor Mark van Vugt argue that Putin is suffering from a bad Napoleon Complex, with some reports suggesting the Russian President could be as short as 5ft 2ins.The psychological claim allegedly afflicted French emperor Napoleon, who was often depicted as short.Theories stemming from the Napoleon complex mentality claim that some insecure smaller men tend to be more aggressive and domineering, seeking to assert themselves and their power over others through ruthless means.Experts have since claimed that Putin is showing all the signs of a classic Napoleon complex case, The Sun reported.Snaps of the Russian President show Putin wearing some oddly clunky shoes, with some theorising that the chunky high heeled shoes are there to boost his height, with lifts buried inside the shoes.Professor van Vugt has said the tyrant is adopting ruthless tactics like poisoning and warfare to "compensate for his lack of physical strength" and said world leaders must be "very careful that... [pushing him] doesn't start a third world war".Speaking to The Sun, the professor said: "He wants to come across as a strong leader.

Vladimir Putin is “constantly” accompanied by a doctor specialising in thyroid cancer as rumours of his ill health refuse to disappear, a new investigation shows.Surgeon Yevgeny Selivanov, of Moscow's Central Clinical Hospital, has flown to the Russian leader no less than 35 times in Black Sea resort Sochi, his favourite place of residence.The respected doctor’s thesis - showing his area of medical expertise - was entitled: ”Peculiarities of diagnostics and surgical treatment of elderly and senile patients with thyroid cancer".This follows reports that Putin is dying in agony from terminal bowel cancer, according to intelligence from the Pentagon and in Ukraine. His “puffy face” is a sign he is taking chemotherapy drugs or steroids and his unsmiling expression shows he is in constant pain, US sources say.The recent discovery by investigative media Project (or Proekt) media - blocked in Russia and now functioning from abroad - backs recent theories that Putin declared war when he was suffering medical problems hidden from the Russian people.

Tokyo. Kabaeva, who won bronze in all-around at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney and gold in the same category at Athens 2004, agreed to a rare appearance on television to defend the performance of Dina Averina and criticise the judgement of the officials.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stripped two top military officials of their ranks after they were accused of being traitors. The furious leader branded two generals as “anti-heroes” who had “ violated an oath to their country” during his nightly address to the nation.

STRICTLY Come Dancing's Russian stars today spoke out against the invasion of Ukraine. Katya Jones and Luba Mushtuk were asked about their feelings after weeks of staying silent about Vladimir Putin’s war.

PIERS Morgan fans went wild as he joined US news show The Five ahead of his TalkTV launch. The 57-year-old made a guest appearance on the Fox News programme and viewers were impressed with his comments about "standing up" to Russian Vladimir Putin. A clip of former Good Morning Britain host Piers has circulated on social media, with him asking: "Can I ask one difficult question - because I know this flies against the general narrative.

Vladimir Putin's troops have been seen smiling and laughing as they 'waste ammunition' in a viral video.The footage, which was posted to the r/ukraine subreddit, caused an uproar online after showing several Russian mercenaries aimlessly firing rocket launchers and machine guns at nearby buildings. However, there appears to be no oncoming fire towards them.