As recently as April, Putin publicly praised the commander highlighting his unit's "daily successes" at the frontlines.

President Vladimir Putin said in remarks published on Sunday that Russia had sufficient strength and resources to take the war in Ukraine to its logical conclusion, though he hoped that there would be no need to use nuclear weapons.

President Donald Trump reportedly asked several foreign governments if they would accept U.S. deportees who are not their citizens—including war-torn Ukraine. Documents obtained by The Washington Post revealed that the Trump administration asked Kyiv in late January to take in third-country nationals deported by the U.