It’s approaching 11:00 in Moscow and we’re an hour away from hearing Russian President Vladimir Putin address the nation in his annual end-of-the-year speech. The Kremlin leader is expected to also take questions from Russians – some of whom have already been sending in their queries from the 11 time zones that span the country.

Ukraine has inflicted major losses on Putin's army in the Kursk region, with roughly 60,000 Russian troops attempting to recapture territory seized by Kyiv's forces in the summer

Ukraine has inflicted major losses on Putin's army in Kursk as fighting continues to rage in Russia's border region. Kyiv's forces seized almost 1,400 square kilometres of the Kursk region in a lightning raid in the summer in a move that shook the Kremlin.