The first direct Ukraine-Russia talks did not deliver a ceasefire but it did result in the largest prisoner swap of the war. CHERNIHIV REGION, Ukraine — For hours Friday, a crowd of hopefuls stood on the roadside wrapped in blue-and-yellow flags and clutching photos of captured Ukrainian soldiers — their eyes peeled for any sign of buses.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov cast doubt on Friday over the Vatican as a potential location for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, saying that the Holy See itself would find it uncomfortable to host two mainly Orthodox Christian nations.

The Kremlin that its air defenses shot down 485 drones across 14 regions in its control. Several reports indicate other drones found their targets.

Alexey Mordashov, one of Russia’s richest men, has found an unexpected adversary in the governor of the region where his steelmaker, Severstal PJSC, operates, the latest illustration of the waning power of the country’s tycoons that’s been accelerated by the invasion of Ukraine.

Russia's Arctic LNG 2 plant, currently under U.S. sanctions, has shut down its first production train because reservoirs are full in the absence of tankers to load, a source close to the matter told Reuters on Friday.

Russia is still refusing to sign up to an unconditional comprehensive ceasefire. It has no intention of returning any of the Ukrainian land it has seized, occupied and claims to have annexed. On the contrary: it's pushing for more.