In an operation said to be 18 months in the planning, Ukraine conducted a devastating series of drone strikes against Russia air bases on Sunday.

Zelensky aide hits out at Putin’s negotiators after two sides agree prisoner swap - Zelensky says Russia and Ukraine agree to exchange 1,000 prisoners each, potentially rising to 1200

It also roughly tallies with attempts by Russian independent media, such as Meduza and Mediazona, to count the bodies. By this time last year, Meduza reckoned that between 106,000-140,000 Russian soldiers had died. Much of their analysis was based on inheritance records and obituaries on social media and in other outlets.

Sergei Chudinov, the second secretary of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department of Linguistic Support and interpreter for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, was part of the Russian delegation at the negotiations in Istanbul,

Vladimir Putin has remained silent for over a day following a series of incidents in Russia. First, in the Bryansk and Kursk regions, railway bridges were blown up. Then, Russian strategic air force bases were subjected to an unprecedented strike by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

By making harsh, uncompromising demands in peace talks with Ukraine while continuing to pummel it with waves of missiles and drones, Russian President Vladimir Putin is sending a clear message: He will only accept a settlement on his terms and will keep fighting until they’re met.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned President Donald Trump that Russian President Vladimir Putin was grabbing pieces of Ukraine all the way back in 2016.

However, Trump’s rhetoric surrounding Russia, traditionally sympathetic to Putin’s aims, has shifted in recent weeks as his attempts to end the war continue to be thwarted.At the weekend, Trump warned that if Putin threatened to conquer all of Ukraine he would bring about the “downfall” of Russia.

Many Western companies pulled out of Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but a Russian businessman claims two American tech companies’ products are still being used by some, and Vladimir Putin wants them gone.

The meeting, which was the second round of peace talks between the two countries, lasted about an hour. It took place against the backdrop of growing violence in the ongoing war.