Horror pics of Brit Aiden Aslin captured by Russian troops with gashes and swollen eye

Russian claims to have captured Ukraine’s important Black Sea port of Mariupol, a determined rearguard of Ukrainian fighters remain in the ruined city – along with some 20 British volunteers.The British fighters, sheltering from the almost-constant Russian bombardment in underground bunkers, have vowed to “save the last bullet for themselves” rather than be taken alive.Hundreds of British Army veterans and others have rushed to Ukraine's defence and a few – like Notts-born Aiden Aslin – have been captured by the Russians.As many as 20,000 civilians in Mariupol are already believed to have been killed by Russian shells and bombs, and many more may die as food supplies run out.Russian leader Vladimir Putin has ordered his troops to surround the city’s industrial district and seal it off to starve out the defenders.A large force of Ukrainian defenders is holed up beneath the near-impregnable Azovstal steel works, along with an unknown number of civilians..Putin has abandoned plans to storm the factory and has ordered Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to instead "block off this industrial area so that a fly couldn't get through".Conceding that his forces couldn’t enter the steelworks without sustaining heavy losses he added: "There is no need to climb into these catacombs and crawl underground through these industrial facilities."A British volunteer in Kyiv who had previously fought alongside the defenders of Mariupol told The Sun: “There are as many as 20 British lads still there and I fear for them.“Many are veterans of the conflict in the Donbas.

Russia launched an air strike on Odessa. Valerie [Valeriya] Glodan, and her infant daughter, Kira, were among the eight people killed after cruise missiles were dropped on to an apartment block in the southern Ukrainian port city, with Putin's approval. As Ukraine's civilian death toll continues to climb well into the thousands, once again people across the world have expressed horror and sadness at the pointless loss of life, with tributes pouring into social media for Valerie and Kira."The vibrancy in Valeriya’s eyes in this photo just breaks my heart.

Putin's list of targets has reportedly been revealed as warnings are issued of more invasions across Europe. The small country of Moldova that borders with besieged Ukraine is believed to be the next target on Vladimir Putin's expansion list as the Russian president looks to increase his reach across Eastern Europe.The country is less than a third of the size of London with a population of 2.6million people and it has now been suggested that it could be the next country to be targeted by soldiers and missiles as Russia look to create a pathway.

Russia has said it will deploy its Satan II "super-weapon", a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), by autumn. Vladimir Putin recently tested the Sarmat missile, capable of carrying more than 10 nuclear warheads over 6,000km and striking the UK.The launch this week came after the weapon's development was pushed back for years due to funding problems and technical issues.

I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! It was reported yesterday that a totally new spin-off of the show could be filmed this year with favourite campmates of the past. The Loose Women and Sort Your Life Out star is one of the celebs reportedly in talks with producers to see if she can appear, The Sun reports.

Vladimir Putin is purging his inner circle is growing after a reported four "suicides" of gas industry executives linked closely to the brutal tyrant.The alleged suicides have been called "suspicious" by numerous Russian sources including a former FSB colonel.Gennady Gudkov claimed there were similarities in the deaths of top managers and their family members from Russian gas companies.He said: "Don't let the 'rats' escape, they might talk.“If we already understand that the regime is engaged in the elimination of its opponents and enemies, then why will they not deal with those who are considered traitors who have fled the system."Many cases of [suspicious deaths] are like settling scores." His accusations come after the alleged suicide of Sergey Protosenya, a former deputy chairman of Novotek – a company closely linked to Russia. Protosenya's wife Natalia, 53, and their teenage daughter, Maria, were previously stabbed to death allegedly by Protosenya.And just a few days earlier, millionaire Vladislav Avayev, 51, ex-vice-president of Gazprombank and former Kremlin official, was found dead in his Moscow penthouse.His wife Yelena, 47, and daughter, Maria, 13, were found dead with him.Both cases have been labelled as suspicious and some believe they have been staged as suicides, although detectives remain investigating.The two incidents “are united by the former places of work of the victims - both are connected with Putin's inner circle,” according to a Telegram channel.As well as these two cases, there have been two more prominent gas executive deaths this year.The body of Alexander Tyulakov, 61, a security official at deputy general director level was found just a day after the Ukraine invasion started on February 25.

Russian mothers are encouraging their soldier sons to kill civilians and children in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian authorities. A call tracked by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and shared on Telegram this week is one example of Russian soldiers being egged on during the conflict.

In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Belarus’ support of the war, Wimbledon is reportedly planning to bar Russian and Belarusian players from the Grand Slam tennis tournament which begins in London on June 27. Sportico reported that the event, organized by the All England Club, will break from the rest of the tennis world by refusing to allow Russians to compete — this would include current world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev. The New York Times, citing a highly placed international tennis official, said the ban is expected to extend to Belarusian players as well.

Russia, with a fuming pal of Russian President Vladimir Putin saying the pair will "will have to answer in full for their actions".Shaun Pinner, 48, and Aiden Aslin, 28, were targeted by the deputy head of the Kremlin's powerful security council, Dmitry Medvedev.The former Russian president and prime minister said the pair would not be treated as combatants under the Geneva Conventions, meaning they would not receive the rights a prisoner of war would.Medvedev's show trials for the two men come after a failed swap deal for Putin's "prince of darkness" Viktor Medvedchuk, currently held by Ukrainian forces. The British captives have made an appeal to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson several times on multiple Russian state TV outlets.

Russian troops could be turning back the clock by more than a century after they were reportedly found to be using 'dart' weapons usually associated with World War 1.Locals in the Ukrainian city of Bucha say their homes and gardens have been showered with lethal metal darts, which are thought to have been released from Russian artillery shells during last month's devastating occupation of the town.Military experts say that the tiny projectiles known as flechettes are not usually seen in modern warfare, having been widely used most recently in the Vietnam War.Despite their tiny size at around three centimetres in length, the weapons are highly deadly and can penetrate soft cover to inflict lethal damage when fired at high speed.Local woman Svitlana Chmut told the Washington Post that she had returned home in the last few days to find the darts embedded in her car and scattered across her garden."If you look closely on the ground around my house, you will find a lot more of them," said Ms Chmut, 54.The artillery is not prohibited by international conventions, but some human rights groups criticise their use as “indiscriminate weapons” which could seriously injure civilians even if they were aimed at military formations.Commenting on their use in Ukraine, Amnesty International said: "They should never be used in built-up civilian areas."For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.The darts are not thought to pose a danger to people inside buildings.Meanwhile Britain is set to send Stormer armoured missiles to Ukraine to help blast Vladimir Putin's aircraft out of the sky, according to reports.It is understood the 13-tonne vehicles can be

Ukrainian comrades were "shredded and mutilated" by Russian tanks on the frontline.The sniper nicknamed Wali, who fought alongside the Kurds against ISIS in Syria, in March answered the call of Ukraine's President for foreign troops to join the war effort, saying: "I want to help people, it's as simple as that."Ever since, he has been helping to pick off enemy soldiers and giving Vladimir Putin's forces a good trolling in the process. However, in his latest update, the deadly marksman told of a close shave with a fleet of Russian tanks that saw two Ukrainian soldiers have limbs blown off in a gnarly death. He said that over the weekend he and a comrade called Shadow went to a position surrounded by Russian tanks, in a small forest having earlier left Kyiv when Vladimir Putin's forces retreated.

Vladimir Putin, Ukranian forces appear to have destroyed a £11million Russian Ka-52 helicopter with a rocket launcher worth less than £100.The incident is said to have occurred in the heavily contested Kharkiv region where the two sides are battling intensely.According to the Ukrainian military unit Operational Command 'East' the attack happened as Putin’s helicopters flew low over the terrain under cover of darkness.On the group’s Facebook page, an officer named Yaroslav described the attack.He said: “At night, enemy helicopters went very low. They circled over our positions, not even allowing us to raise our heads.“And an anti-aircraft gunner fired two missiles on them.

Russian tank appearing to drive over one of its own soldiers.Narrated by Ukrainian soldiers, the clip begins with the tank coming out of a container and turning left, where a soldier appears to be laying on the ground. The figure is visible moving around on the ground in the overhead clip, but despite this the armoured vehicle continues in its path, appearing to drive over the soldier."Russians are considered expendables by Russians," commented one person after the video was shared to a threat on Reddit dedicated to information on the conflict in Ukraine."Such is the respect for human life by Russian soldiers," added another person.A third added: "I don't f****** understand these Russians they're all just a bunch of untrained maniacs in camo...

Ukraine as the war enters a deadly new phase, according to the Ukrainian president.Missile blasts and troop movements were witnessed across the Donbas region on Monday, only days after Vladimir Putin withdrew Russian forces from the area around Kyiv to focus on capturing land near the Russian border.Volodymr Zelenskyy described the development as the beginning of the "Battle of Donbas" and said the Ukrainian army had been expecting the latest assault.Striking a defiant tone in the rousing speech, the actor-turned-President claimed he was confident his army could repel the invaders.He said in a video address: "We can now say that Russian forces have started the battle of the Donbas, for which they have long prepared."No matter how many Russian soldiers are driven there, we will fight. We will defend ourselves.

Vladimir Putin's forces before being paraded on Russian TV. Ex-British Army soldier Shaun Pinner, 48, was serving as a 'contract soldier' with Ukrainian forces in Russian-occupied Mariupol as the area has been decimated by shelling.He claims to have been there for five to six weeks before appearing on the broadcast with no visible wounds, giving information about his service.He told the journalist Andrey Rudenko on the military TV channel: "I am Shaun Pinner.

Russia's Black Sea Fleet has gone up in flames as satellite images show other vessels trying to rescue crew members on board.

Russia invaded Ukraine, SAS troops are training forces in Kyiv to aid them in their resistance against Vladimir Putin's troops. According to Ukrainian commanders, two battalions have undergone military training for serving British special forces in recent weeks.

Ukrainian minesweeping dog that took the internet by storm has now successfully sniffed out 'hundreds of Russian explosives'.Patron (Bullet in English) is an adorable two-and-a-half-year-old Jack Russell helping to remove mines left by retreating Russian forces in the Chernihiv region, north of Kyiv.The hero pooch first made headlines last month after he was pictured at work donning a miniature Ukrainian military vest. Since then the landscape of the conflict has changed dramatically with Vladimir Putin pulling troops out of northern Ukraine where their war effort was faltering badly.

Soprano Anna Netrebko has been hired by the Monte Carlo Opera to sing this month following the Metropolitan Opera's decision to drop her for failing to repudiate Russia President Vladimir Putin. The Monte Carlo Opera said Thursday that Netrebko will sing the title role in Puccini's "Manon Lescaut" in performances on April 22, 24, 27 and 30.The 50-year-old Russian replaces an originally announced Maria Agresta. Tenor Yusif Eyvazov, Netrebko's husband, is scheduled to sing Des Grieux.

Vladimir Putin’s regime admitted last night that the Moskva had been sunk in the Black Sea.The Russians insist it had been put out of action by a fire on board and had then sunk during bad weather while it was under tow.But the Ukrainians say they successfully struck it with Neptune missiles – a claim that Western observers believe is entirely credible. Now the Ukrainian government has taken to social media, saying on Twitter: “The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine reminds the Russian navy that the Black Sea straits are closed for entry only.