Estimates from researchers in the U.S. in July suggested that the Kremlin faces eye-watering costs for its payouts to troops injured in the war in Ukraine.

President-elect Trump spoke with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Thursday and warned him not to escalate the fighting in Ukraine, according to a source briefed on the call. Why it matters: Trump said publicly that he is going to end the war in Ukraine and use his personal relationship with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in order to get a peace deal.