Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds more prisoners on Saturday as part of a major swap that amounted to a rare moment of cooperation in otherwise

But Russia's preferred deep-strike weapon — the Shahed drone — has gotten some major upgrades since the start of the year, including jet engines and Starlink satellite attachments, putting pressure on Ukraine's already strained air defense.

Russia said on Thursday it had shot down 159 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, including about 20 headed towards Moscow, as the war in Ukraine heated up despite major powers discussing ways to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War Two.

Russian troops have executed Ukrainian prisoners more than 150 times, Kyiv’s military intelligence agency said on Saturday. The agency reported multiple instances in which Russian troops received “direct orders to kill” prisoners of war, and said there had been a sharp rise in executions since 2024.