The Chinese military staged a second day of exercises around Taiwan on Wednesday, launching live-fire strikes in the East China Sea and practicing blockade operations near crucial shipping lanes to the east and west of the island.

The Chinese military announced large-scale drills in the waters around Taiwan on Tuesday as it again warned the self-ruled island against seeking independence. The joint exercises involve navy, air ground and rocket forces and are meant to be a “severe warning and forceful containment against Taiwan independence,

The spring call-up for a year's military service came several months after Putin said Russia should increase the overall size of its military to almost 2.39 million and its number of active servicemen to 1.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin has ordered 160,000 Russians be called up for military service, marking the country's highest number of conscripts in 14 years. The new order is to be carried out from April 1 to July 15 and applies to Russian men aged 18-30.

The Russian wartime leader has forged forward with a recruitment drive as peace talks flounder with Washington and Kyiv.