Thousands of troops are taking part in military drills in northern Finland, close to the alliance's border with Russia.

Moscow’s battlefield edge is waning, experts say. But President Donald Trump seems disinclined to ramp up pressure on the Kremlin to end the war in Ukraine.

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that Moscow would not allow Russian-speakers in Ukraine to remain under the rule of what he called a "junta" led by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Russian strikes killed at least nine people in Ukraine overnight to Sunday, officials said, as Kyiv and Moscow traded fire amid an ongoing major prisoner swap.

Until last week, a secretive fleet of ships ferrying Russian oil around the world showed no clear links to the Kremlin. That changed when Russia used a fighter jet in an apparent effort to protect a tanker.

Russia said on Wednesday its air defences shot down more than 370 Ukrainian drones, including some approaching Moscow, and the capital's airports were briefly shut down to ensure the safety of flights.

Russia, using missiles and drones, launched one of the biggest assaults on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, since the beginning of the war more than three years ago and hours after a prisoner exchange began.

War experts believe Moscow is planning a summer offensive in Ukraine. Economic and military pressures closer to home could end up pushing Moscow into peace talks. A slowdown in inflation, declining industrial output and consumer spending all point to a slowdown in the Russian economy.