Putin has arrived in China on his first state visit after he was sworn in as Russia’s president earlier this month.

Vladimir Putin will arrive for a two-day state visit on Thursday.

Moscow says nearly 1,400 Ukrainian soldiers were in Donetsk and Luhansk in 24 hours.

Russian President Vladimir Putin proposes a civilian economist to replace Sergei Shoigu as defense minister as the country is trying to better utilize defense spending and harness greater innovation to win the war in Ukraine.

Thousands of Ukrainians are evacuated from a border town as Russian forces are making progress in the Kharkiv region.

Hundreds of people have fled regions close to the Russian border in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region following the launch of Moscow’s ground operation to capture the region.

The Russian president was speaking at the annual Victory Day military parade at Red Square in central Moscow.