The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission has recorded an "alarming rise" in reported executions of Ukrainian soldiers captured by Russian armed forces during the war in recent months, it said on Monday.

The UN Mission for Human Rights Monitoring in Ukraine has confirmed the execution of 79 Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian forces since August of last year. This act has been declared a "war crime that requires urgent response from the international community.

The United Nations on Monday warned that Russian troops have been increasingly killing captured Ukrainian soldiers over recent months, echoing growing allegations from officials in Kyiv. The UN monitoring mission in Ukraine said that,

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are seen by Russia as possible venues for a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, two Russian sources with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are being considered as possible venues by Russia for a summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Reuters who got the information from two Russian sources.

The deputy governor of a Russian region has been killed fighting in Ukraine, becoming the highest-ranking Russian official to die in the war.

The 52-year-old was on his way back to the frontlines and is believed to have died instantly along with another officer.

Sergey Efremov, the deputy governor of the eastern Primorsky Krai region, died in Kursk, where Russian forces have been trying to beat back a Ukrainian invasion since last August. Efremov was reportedly killed along with a military officer on Friday when their vehicle struck a landmine and blew up.