Vladimir Putin could be getting concerned about a tiny NATO nation on Russia's border which is making open preparations for war. In a David versus Goliath-like scenario, the small Baltic country of Lithuania has begun ramping up military spending and exercises in response to the growing threat from Moscow.

Kyiv sets deadline for Putin-Zelensky summit after peace talks fail to stop bombing - Russia and Ukraine discuss further prisoner swaps at brief session of peace talks in Istanbul

Ukraine has accused Russia of abducting Ukrainian children during its ongoing invasion and forcing them into military service once they turn 18, sending them to fight against their own people.

Ukrainian analysts have told Newsweek the move undoes a decade of democratic progress, although its president Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday he backed a new draft law aimed at strengthening the independence the anti-corruption institutions. Newsweek has contacted the Ukrainian president's office and the Kremlin for comment.