Russia and Ukraine have completed the first phase of what is expected to be the biggest prisoner exchange since the start of the war, with almost 800 people released on Friday.

Almost one third of Russia's total expenditures is classified and the word "secret" appears 39 times in the budget when it was adopted last December, the Russian news outlet RuNews24.ru reported.

Lyudmila Vasilyeva is fined for "discrediting" the Russian army after calling for an end to Moscow's war in Ukraine.

Russia has spent most of its National Wealth Fund in the past few years, with liquid funds potentially being depleted in 2025, one economist says.

After a stint with a drone unit led by a member of Parliament, Russian officials return to work, and promotions, garlanded as war veterans. Most soldiers are stuck in indefinite deployments.

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.

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.