Ukraine captured 12 Russian soldiers in a fresh attack in the Kursk border region, according to Ukrainian special forces.

Footage released by special forces on Telegram showed close combat clashes between Russian and Ukrainian troops in a wooded area.

Ukraine said 17 Russian soldiers were killed in the fresh assault in Kursk, which was invaded by Kyiv in a daring incursion in August.

It comes after Ukraine made fresh advances during a counterattack south of Korenevo, near the Ukrainian border, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a US-based think tank.

Russia is thought to have regained around 40 per cent of the Kursk territory initially seized by Ukraine, with soldiers reportedly being told to hold their position “until Trump’s inauguration and the start of negotiations”.