Wagner chief's message reveals potential shift in Russian military strategy.

The chief of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner has asked Moscow to let him hand over his positions in the hotspot city of Bakhmut to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Meanwhile, Ukraine has claimed to have downed a Russian hypersonic missile over Kyiv using newly acquired American Patriot defence systems, and Russia said its forces had downed a Ukrainian missile over the Crimean peninsula. Ukraine and Russia have also swapped prisoners, with Ukraine hailing the return of 45 Azov battalion fighters captured during the battle for Mariupol while Russia said three of its pilots had been released by Kyiv.