Vladimir Putin is planning to send clowns to Ukraine in a bid to boost the flagging morale of Russian troops.
Russia's defence ministry is putting together a creative brigade of artists to send to the frontline with a view to improving the mood among soldiers as the conflict nears the one-year mark.
The brigade will consist of actors, circus performers, musicians and opera singers who will perform shows, with those involved having either volunteered for military duty or drafted under Putin's mobilisation of reservists.
