Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has been forced into a brutal admission over the number of soldiers Russia has lost so far in Ukraine. Mr Peskov was pressed into admitting Russia had lost “significant loses” during a tense on-air grilling. 

Mr Peskov was challenged over the setback Russian troops have faced thus far in Ukraine.

Sky News host Mark Austin said “The reason I said it’s not going to plan is you’ve retreated from the capital, President Zelensky is still in power, you’ve lost thousands of troops.

“You’ve lost six generals, hundreds of tanks.

He asked: “It’s a humiliation really, isn’t it?”

Mr Peskov told Sky News: “We have significant losses of troops.

“It’s a huge tragedy for us.”

Ukrainian officials say that after withdrawing from Kyiv’s outskirts, Russian forces are regrouping to try to gain full control over the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, which have been partly held by Russian-backed separatists since 2014.

It follows international condemnation of apparent executions of civilians in the streets of Bucha, a town northwest of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv that was recaptured from Russian forces.

“Russia is a global pariah.”

The United Nations General Assembly voted 93 to 24 to suspend Russia from the human rights body, with 58 abstentions.

Ukraine’s foreign minister has welcomed the decision by the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council over reports of violations and abuses of human rights by its troops in Ukraine.

“War criminals have no place in UN bodies aimed at protecting human rights. Grateful to all member states which supported the relevant UNGA resolution and chose the right side of history,” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter.