We hear from Yan Furtsev, a Russian opposition politician in Kursk helping evacuees from areas under Ukrainian control. President Zelensky said around one hundred Russian troops had been taken prisoner, but Russian state TV claimed that the Ukrainian advance had been almost ‘completely blocked’.

Also on the programme: a special report from Afghanistan, where hundreds of thousands of refugees have been forced to return after being expelled by Pakistan; and with the rise of ‘age-blind’ casting, can older actors play roles traditionally given to much younger performers?

(Picture: Ukrainian servicemen ride military vehicles from a crossing point at the border with Russia in Sumy region, Ukraine August 13, 2024. Credit: REUTERS/Viacheslav Ratynskyi)