Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told ABC News during an exclusive interview in Moscow on Monday that he believes the warring parties are close to a deal.

The founder of Russia's opposition Yabloko party, which wants a ceasefire in Ukraine, has said his party will keep campaigning despite the arrest of two senior figures, a move he said was meant to derail it before next year's parliamentary election.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A senior Kremlin official said Friday that Russian police and National Guard will stay on in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas and oversee the industry-rich region, even if a peace settlement ends Russia’s nearly four-year war in Ukraine.

Russia is pushing to take over all of eastern Ukraine's Donbas region, where one resident tells NPR that she feels her "life depends on how our guys at the front hold on."

The Russian submarine was allegedly carrying Kalibr cruise missiles, which Russia has used in devastating strikes on critical infrastructure and military targets across Ukraine. The SBU said the submarine was “put out of action” as a result of the blast. The FT could not independently verify the claim.

The European Union is set to lock up Russia’s assets in Europe until Russia ends its war on Ukraine and compensates for the damage.

The Russian Defence Ministry said on Monday that its air defence units had shot down 130 Ukrainian drones overnight, 15 of which were headed for Moscow.

The drone war between Russia and Ukraine has intensified sharply, with both sides reporting massive overnight aerial attacks. Russia’s Defence Ministry claims it intercepted 235 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions,