KIEV: According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, talks between Ukraine and Russia will end if Moscow performs a mock trial of captured Ukrainian inmates.

Zelensky made reference to rumours that a trial was being planned in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, which has been taken over by Russian forces and separatists backed by Moscow, in his speech on Sunday night, as per reports.
"This will be the point at which all negotiations are untenable if this abhorrent show trial proceeds and our people are forced into this setting against all accords and international law. Russia will exclude itself from the talks. There won't be any more discussions,"he said.

According to British intelligence, Russia is having trouble inspiring its auxiliary forces from pro-Moscow separatist regions in Ukraine as the battle approaches the six-month mark.

The British Ministry of Defence stated in its daily report on Monday that "commanders are likely turning to direct financial incentives, while some combat units are regarded untrustworthy for offensive operations."

The story makes reference to a video that was shared on social media in Ukraine on August 15 and in which members of an LPR military unit in eastern Ukraine declare their refusal to participate in offensive operations in Donetsk.
The report indicated that despite threats and coercion from top leaders, the fighters insisted they had completed their mission by securing the LPR's authority over the entirety of Luhansk Oblast, which was achieved in July 2022. They refused to engage in combat in Donetsk Oblast.

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