Vladimir Putin says Russia has tested its nuclear-powered Poseidon torpedo, calling it unmatched in global weaponry.

Russian forces are close to taking the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk after a pincer movement almost totally encircled it while small groups of highly mobile Russian units penetrated the city, according to Russian military bloggers.

Russian lawmakers have endorsed a bill mandating year-round military conscription, rather than just in the spring and fall, as authorities seek to fill the ranks as fighting in Ukraine grinds through a fourth year.

The missile, which is claimed to possess extreme endurance and may pose a significant radiological hazard, is said to have made its first long-range test flight.

Russia and Venezuela have entered into a strategic partnership intended to expand their cooperation in the areas of energy, mining, transport and security. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the agreement,

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv is working with its partners in the "Coalition of the Willing" to draw up a peace plan, including a ceasefire, to end the Russian war against Ukraine in a similar vein to U.S. President Donald Trump's 20-point framework for Gaza.

Bryce McFerran is a senior executive at a steel-trading business co-owned by one of Russia’s richest oligarchs and is married to a member of a Russian family with extensive ties to the Kremlin.