Mass conscription begins in Russia as Putin asks for a million more troops

Vladimir Putin has secretly approved a law that will send a further one million men to fight in Ukraine, a Russian newspaper reported on Thursday.

If true, the target is more than three times higher than the 300,000 number that had previously been circulated and is likely to exacerbate fears of conscription among ordinary Russians that have seen mass protests and people massing at borders to leave the country.