RUSSIA

"They have to win because for Ukraine, it's an independence war. It's not just a regional conflict, and that's why they are highly motivated," said the Estonian spymaster.

The Russian soldiers fled from the newly-liberated village of Torske in occupied Donetsk Oblast.

About 20 Russian soldiers who were deployed as part of the platoon were killed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Russia's army general Sergei Surovikin will now lead all military actions in Ukraine for the invasion.

President Joe Biden's warning of nuclear "armageddon" took some in his administration by surprise.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky urged NATO to apply preventive pressure on Russia in response to Putin's nuclear threats.

The mobilized soldiers also said they had to spend their money to buy food and equipment.

The Russian military's death toll is now estimated to be at 61,000, according to the UAF General Staff.

Ukrainian officials also found a gas mask that was supposedly "put on the head of a victim who was covered with a smoldering rag and buried alive."

Maps shared by the Russian Defense Ministry on Tuesday showed that the country's army in Kherson had retreated toward the border of Luhansk Oblast.

"We take your husband and you get to eat for a few weeks. That's a true indication of poverty officials want everyone to forget," Russian political analyst Anton Barbashin said in an interview, referring to the new recruitment scheme.

The newly-liberated settlements in Kherson Oblast were located in the region's Beryslav district.

"In a few weeks, we have already [received] more than 2,000 such requests," said a representative of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov praised Elon Musk for "looking for a peaceful way out of" the war in Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin has threatened nuclear weapons in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Whether the threats are legit and how the U.S. will respond remains unclear.

In a Twitter post, Musk suggested re-doing referendums in annexed territories of Ukraine "under UN supervision."

Russia President Vladimir Putin's allies also suggested that Moscow's military commander should be sent to the frontlines armed only with a machine gun.

Former National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster made the remarks following Ukraine's liberation of the city of Lyman.

A report by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that the Ukrainian soldiers also successfully hit five Russian command posts over the weekend.

The Biden administration on Friday added further sanctions on Russia and Russian entities following Putin's annexation of four regions in Ukraine.

Russian Deputy Finance Minister Alexei Moiseev said that the new legislation will be adopted by the end of 2022.