Seoul "will not stand by but respond firmly in collaboration with the international community," South Korea said.

U KRAINE’S PRESIDENT, Volodymyr Zelensky, declared last week that North Korea is sending troops to Russia, in effect joining the invasion as a co-combatant. The appearance of one of the world’s most erratic and heavily-armed nations in the fight might test the best resourced and well-rested defences.

Chinese President Xi Jinping told Russia's Vladimir Putin that the international situation was gripped by chaos but that Beijing's strategic partnership with Moscow was a force for stability amid the most significant changes seen in a century.

South Africa sees Russia as a valued ally, President Cyril Ramaphosa said at a bilateral meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, on the eve of the BRICS summit of emerging economies that will take place in the Russian city of Kazan.

The Russian leader wants to cast himself as a global statesman, even as the U.S. and its Western allies try to isolate him.

Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, said on Monday she will seek the Russian presidency should Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin no longer be in power. In an interview with the BBC,