Vladimir Putin's troops are not "as strong as they say," according to two captured Chinese prisoners of war who were fighting alongside the Russians.

The two Chinese citizens who were captured fighting alongside Russian troops in Ukraine have hit out Vladimir Putin’s military.

Wang Guanjung and Zhang Renbo told reporters in Ukraine that the Russian forces are not as strong as they claim to be.

The two men, handcuffed by Ukrainian soldiers and wearing military clothing, told a news briefing organised by national news agency Ukrinform: “All Russia fed us are lies. They’re fake.

“Russia isn’t as strong as they claim, and Ukraine isn’t as backwards as they say.”

Putin has made no secret of his ambitions to have the second largest military in the world, with 1.5 million serving troops.

However, the account from the prisoners of war align with reports from the UK’s Ministry of Defence suggesting Putin’s forces have a

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