Ukraine faked the assassination of Russian opposition leader Denis Kapustin to trick Moscow into paying a $500,000 bounty that funded the war effort.

In Kyiv, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed the head of military intelligence Kyrylo Budanov as his new chief of staff Friday, following the resignation of Andrii Yermak after a corruption scandal over a month ago.

Ukraine has targeted Moscow with drones every day of 2026 so far, according to data published by Russia’s Defence Ministry, in what appeared to mark an escalation from earlier, more sporadic attacks on the Russian capital.

Hours after Trump declares Russia and Ukraine "closer than ever" to peace, Moscow claims a failed drone strike will alter its negotiating position.

Putin accused Ukraine of launching drone attacks on his residence, derailing momentum on Zelenskyy's peace plan as Russia threatens to harden its position.

At the moment we suspect aggravated disruption of telecommunications and also aggravated sabotage,” Helsinki's police chief said.

Russia filed a formal diplomatic request that the United States stop pursuing an oil tanker originally bound for Venezuela that has evaded US custody for almost two weeks, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

President Donald Trump engaged Ukraine, Russian leaders throughout 2025 in unprecedented diplomatic push to end the war, including Alaska summit and Mar-a-Lago meetings.

Russia's defence ministry released video footage on Wednesday of what it said was a downed drone at a briefing intended to show Ukraine tried this week to attack a presidential residence and challenge Kyiv's denials that such an attack took place.

Off the battlefield, each side is trying to influence President Trump’s perception of the military conflict as they look to negotiate a peace settlement in their favor.

The UK military expected to see more high-end Russian equipment, like T-14s and Su-57s, in Ukraine, an officer said. They're not there though.