Russia said on Friday it had conducted large-scale tests of new laser-based systems to defend against drones. A government statement described the new technology as "promising" and said it had been tested against various types of drone in different weather conditions.

Ukraine's president says a new prisoner exchange with Russia is ongoing and will take days, as both sides continue launching hundreds of attack drones.

Kyiv and Odesa were among the cities struck overnight into Tuesday morning amid another night of intense airstrikes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that drones had played a major role in the conflict in Ukraine and called for the rapid development and deployment of separate drone forces within the military.

"I like Russia, its language and culture," 20- year-old Aminata told DW. She wants to leave her home country of Sierra Leone in a few weeks to persue an apprenticeship around 7,000 kilometers away in Russia.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has confirmed that its aerospace forces commander was killed along with several other officers in an Israeli airstrike on their command center, according to The Times of Israel.

Trump declined to say what those consequences would be, and went on to add that he had not had discussions about whether to investigate Musk.