U.S. officials believe the soldiers could now be undergoing additional training or that Russia may be exploring ways to deploy them to avoid heavy casualties.
The journalists were accused of extorting a business executive in exchange for suppressing critical coverage.
Authorities released a video of the man apologizing for his online comments and “warning” others against making similar “rash actions.”
Mikhail Pichugin, 46, set off in the Sea of Okhotsk on an inflatable dinghy and was later found around 620 miles from his starting point.
Amid rising hybrid warfare in the Baltic Sea, a Lithuanian Navy vessel seeks to prevent further incidents as part of NATO's Baltic Sentry operation.
Senior Church figures argue that the army lacks spirituality and that greater religiosity among troops would bolster their effectiveness against Ukraine.
Police arrested Lena Patyayeva while she staged a protest in St. Petersburg, citing alleged violations of Covid-19 restrictions.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman claimed the plan would expand Washington’s missile deterrence to a scale “comparable to Reagan’s Star Wars.”
“Of course, they’re going to send us to get slaughtered. Nobody in our country just throws money around,” a soldier told Vyorstka.