The Russian government has launched a covert online influence campaign to sway public opinion and undermine both Democrats and Republicans sympathetic to Ukraine ahead of the midterms, two key Democratic lawmakers warned Wednesday.

The younger sister of Stephen Hubbard, the American who was freed after spending more than four years in a Russian prison, says he was in disbelief about his release.

Still, when Russian leader Vladimir Putin announced he would release Hubbard at the top of a meeting on Wednesday with Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg, Witkoff responded by publicly praising him for freeing the American the U.S. government says he jailed on false charges -- calling Putin a “humanitarian."

After receiving packages with "free drugs," the soldiers were "instructed to take them on camera," police said.

Russia freed Stephen Hubbard, a retired US schoolteacher, from prison on Wednesday, as Moscow and Washington held a new round of talks about settling the war in Ukraine.

The three waves of Russian missiles were launched at hours after Russia said it was "ready in principle" to resume peace talks with the US and Ukraine.

At least two people were killed in the latest strikes, Zelenskyy said.

President Donald Trump has blamed Ukraine for surging diesel prices that are hurting Republicans' election chances with the midterms just two weeks away.