Putin says national guard 'doing well' in Ukraine
STORY: "I know well how you act in such a situation, you act with the utmost courage and professionalism, skilfully, resolutely and fearlessly, showing personal heroism, competently and accurately achieving all the difficult tasks set," Putin said.
Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on February 24 in what it called a "special operation to degrade its southern neighbour’s military capabilities and root out people it called dangerous nationalists."
Ukrainian forces have mounted stiff resistance and the West has imposed sanctions on Russia in an effort to force it to withdraw its forces.
