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With Ukraine retreating and western sanctions having little impact, the Russian president is growing bolder and may embark on more reckless moves Vladimir Putin smiled and looked unusually festive on Friday as he praised factory workers and joked with state reporters at an industrial plant in the Ural city of Chelyabinsk.Putin’s confidence was unmistakable – a sign of his full belief that he would...

In Russia, the battle to eradicate the opposition leader and his legacy will continue long after his deathIn Russia, it is not enough to kill an opposition leader. His ageing mother must travel to the Arctic Circle to search a prison colony and a morgue for his body. Russians with the temerity to lay carnations in his memory must be detained.Even a preliminary cause...

Retreat from Avdiivka deals military blow and hands initiative to Putin as war’s second anniversary loomsVolodymyr Zelenskiy issued a desperate plea for fresh arms on Saturday as his army commanders announced that Ukrainian troops were pulling out of the key eastern city of Avdiivka, handing Moscow its first major military victory since last May, just days before the second anniversary of the Russian invasion.Ukraine’s...

Demonstrators from Berlin to Vilnius, London to Rome chant slogans against Russian president and demand accountability over deathWestern leaders point finger at Putin after Navalny’s death in jailLong opposed to exile, Navalny dies in dark and dangerous RussiaHundreds of protesters, many of them Russian émigrés, gathered in cities across Europe and beyond on Friday to express their outrage over the death of Kremlin critic...

Russian president says Biden is ‘more predictable’, in remarks likely to be attempt to make mischief in US electionVladimir Putin has said he would prefer a Joe Biden presidency to a Donald Trump one and mocked the former Fox News presenter Tucker Carlson for a “lack of sharp questions” during their interview at the Kremlin last week.Asked by a Russian state journalist on Wednesday...

Wide-eyed former Fox host tagged along as Russian president steered the conversation through Russian history and justifications for war“Are we having a talkshow or a serious conversation?” Vladimir Putin asked Tucker Carlson at the start of their interview on Thursday.By the end of the two-hour conversation, the answer was clear: neither. Continue reading...

Former Belgian PM Guy Verhofstadt says Tucker Carlson’s interview ‘is the best thing that ever happened’ to PutinVille Cantell, a director at the Finnish ministry of foreign affairs, has a viewing suggestion instead of the Tucker Carlson interview.President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s decision to replace his most senior military commander may solve a political problem, but it is not clear how it can improve Ukraine’s weakening...

Former Fox host was spotted in the Russian capital, where he says he was to interview Putin about Ukraine war for X/Twitter showThe far-right pundit and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson confirmed on Tuesday he was in Moscow to interview Vladimir Putin, and said he would air his conversation with Russia’s president to counter what he described as pro-Ukraine “fawning pep sessions” by...

Military says no casualties immediately apparent, while strike on industrial site in Kremenchuk sparks fireRussia-Ukraine war: what we know on day 704Russian forces attacked eight communities in the Sumy oblast overnight, causing more than 24 explosions, the Sumy regional military administration said.Shellings of the border territories and settlements of the Sumy oblast brought the Bilopolska, Shalyginska, Esmanska and Druzhbivska communities under fire. Russian mortar...

Unable to match Putin’s military might, Ukraine is engaging in ‘smart warfare’ to attack the enemy’s oil and gas supply linesLast week, a motorist driving in Russia’s Leningrad region came across something unusual. Men had blocked off the road. In front, a large olive-green military vehicle with cigar-shaped missiles on the back was reversing and then parked up on a snowy verge. “Fuck! It’s...

Cause of fire unknown but drones were reported in area; North Korea’s state media KCNA says Vladimir Putin wants to visit PyongyangSee all our Ukraine war coverageRussian forces have taken control of the village of Krokhmalne in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, Russia’s defence ministry said on Sunday, reports Reuters.No other information has been reported on this story by the news agency. We will update with...

The surprise visit to the Baltic Nato member country will see Zelenakiy travel to Tallinn and Riga after VilniusZelenskiy has posted an update via his X account. In the statement, he calls Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania “reliable friends and principled partners” to Ukraine.He has confirmed that while in Vilnius he will hold talks with the president, prime minister, speaker of the Seimas, as well...

Local governor says relocation of some Belgorod residents has already begunRussia says it downed four Ukrainian missiles over Moscow-annexed Crimea overnight, AFP reportsThe attack came a day after Russia said it repelled a Ukrainian drone attack on Crimea, downing 36 drones over the peninsula.Air defence on duty intercepted and destroyed four Ukrainian missiles over the Crimea peninsula.I see several appeals on social media where...