Biden administration suspended high-level military exchanges with Russia late in 2021 as Putin amassed troops at the Ukrainian border

Ever since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, experts say Russia has stepped up its hybrid war on Western Europe. Attacks on critical infrastructure or using drones to shutdown airports are meant to undermine support for Ukraine.

It’s unclear what effect the change will have on Russia’s ability to wage war, but Russian military bloggers said troops were experiencing internet outages that hampered frontline communications.

Ukraine’s diplomat welcomed the return of prisoners, noting that “many of those freed endured captivity and mistreatment since 2022.”

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said there has been a “cut off” of Russia’s Starlink satellite internet terminals in Ukraine, which it claims has disrupted Russian military communications on Thursday.

American negotiators trumpeted plans for a prisoner swap, but that was small recompense for months of diplomatic efforts by the Trump administration.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner will travel to Abu Dhabi for the next round of talks, two U.S. officials told NBC News.

"I hope no one ever finds themselves in the same situation of brutal legal abuse that I did," Artemy Ostaninsaid in his final statement in court.