The Moscow-appointed leader of Crimea says the region is on guard for what may be an impending Ukrainian counteroffensive.

The Ukrainian president’s chief of staff said that the latest of the sporadic prisoner swaps in the war that started in February 2022 was ‘not an easy one.’

A senior Ukrainian official on Saturday said the leaks had angered Kyiv’s military and political leaders, who have sought to conceal vulnerabilities related to ammunition shortages and other battlefield data from the Kremlin throughout the war.

The Ukrainian military said Russian forces launched 18 airstrikes, five missile strikes, and 53 attacks from multiple rocket launchers between Thursday and Friday mornings.

Gleb Karakulov said moral opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and his fear of dying there drove him to speak out, despite the risks to himself and his family.