Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday praised the speed with which his troops are occupying new territory in neighbouring Ukraine. During an appearance in front of schoolchildren, he said that Ukraine’s attempt to halt the advance of Russian troops in the Donbass with its counterattack in the Kursk region had been in vain. “We are not talking about advancing 200 or 300 metres,” Putin said, according to Russian news agencies. “We haven’t had this kind of pace in the offensive in Donbass for a long time.” The Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine are collectively known as the Donba…