Ukraine, Briefly

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• Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged to increase military cooperation with allies Monday, saying Moscow is prepared to provide them with the most cutting-edge weaponry, the Associated Press reported. Putin asserted that Russia’s exports of weapons are crucial to the creation of a “multipolar world,” the Kremlin’s phrase for its initiatives to counter what it sees as American dominance. Meanwhile, the Russian president told North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that he wants to expand ties between Moscow and Pyongyang, Al Jazeera added.

• WNBA star Brittney Griner’s defense team filed an appeal against her conviction on drug charges in Russia, nearly two weeks after she was sentenced to nine years in jail by a Moscow court, NBC News wrote.

• The Russian investigative news outlet iStories has released an alleged war crimes confession from a soldier stationed on the outskirts of Kyiv during the early stages of the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, according to the Moscow Times. iStories’ reporters identified four Russian servicemen suspected of looting and the murder of civilians in the village of Andriivka by using photos the soldiers took on a phone stolen from a local resident.