Russia said on Friday it had recaptured another village in its Kursk region, where it is seeking to finally expel Ukrainian troops after nearly eight months of fighting. But pro-Moscow military bloggers expressed concern about the situation in Belgorod,

According to the military, the captured Russians said they were lured in by Kremlin propaganda and signed contracts to “fight Nazis and mercenaries” — but ended up as prisoners in the hands of Ukrainian troops.

In the Russian region of Kursk, where Ukraine has been fighting for more than seven months, people say they want peace but fear there will be more war. Ukraine's incursion into Russian territory was launched in August - more than two years into a major war triggered by Moscow's invasion of its neighbour - shocking a border region that hadn't seen conflict since World War Two.