Russia

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were busy with other issues, but that it expected contacts with them over Ukraine would resume once they became available.

A new Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap could take place in the near future, Russian human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova said, according to TASS.

Erdogan’s NATO spotlight comes as opposition figures face prosecution, economic turmoil grows, and democracy erodes in Turkey.

There were casualties among the nine crew members who are nationals of Egypt, Turkey and India, it said, adding that everyone was rescued.

Videos from social media show fiery explosions at a port in the Kerch Strait late at night, with thick smoke surrounding what appear to be oil tanks. 

TV Time: The history of the magazine, which began publishing a year before the establishment of the state, is the subject of an engaging new documentary, 'LAISHA – The Story of a Women’s Magazine'.

CYBER AFFAIRS: One cybersecurity company, KELA Group, referred to the World Cup, which is ongoing in the US, Mexico, and Canada, as the “largest digital battlefield in history.”

Flights out of all major Moscow airports have been grounded as a result of Ukrainian drone strikes. Authorities said 180 Ukrainian drones had been shot down over Moscow.

Some European leaders have also pushed back against efforts by Britain, France and Germany - known as the E3 - to take the diplomatic lead for Europe in any dialogue with the Kremlin.

A G7 summit this week increased optimism among European and US leaders that the 5-year-long Ukraine-Russia war would be brought to an end.