Russia is turning to 'dad's army' as it recruits volunteers up to the age of 60 to replace those killed in vicious Ukraine fighting

Emily Ferris, a research fellow specialising in Russian affairs at the Royal United Services Institute, said Putin was relying on ethnic minorities because she says: 'It doesn't sit very well with most Russians to be engaging in urban warfare where you can see people you are battling are Slavic. 'In a lot of cases, the Ukrainians have families in both countries and they look very similar [to the Russians]'