President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a law to pull Russia out of a European anti-torture convention, as Moscow extricates itself from Western bodies it was kicked out of or quit over its offensive on Ukraine. Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe, an international human-rights monitor, in March 2022, though it had technically…
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine and its allies must work together to pressure Russia into ending its invasion, ahead of talks in Berlin with European leaders and US leader Donald Trump. Pressure must be exerted on Russia for the sake of a fair peace. We must learn from the experience of Ukraine and our…
Russia fired a volley of drones and missiles at Ukraine early on Monday, hitting apartment blocks and a nursery in Kyiv, days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed holding a fresh round of peace talks. Moscow has not responded to Zelensky’s call for new negotiations this week or an ultimatum by US President Donald Trump…
Afghanistan’s government said on Thursday that Russia had become the first country to officially recognise its rule, calling it a “brave decision”. The Taliban swept back to power in 2021 after ousting the foreign-backed government and have imposed an austere version of Islamic law. They have keenly sought official international recognition and investment, as the…
Two bridges have collapsed overnight in separate incidents in Russian regions bordering Ukraine, killing at least seven people and injuring dozens more. A road bridge came down in Bryansk, bringing several heavy trucks on to a moving passenger train late on Saturday, the regional governor said. Emergency services said at least seven people were killed….
Russia early on Monday launched missiles and drones targeting Ukraine, waking up Kyiv and the eastern half of the country, a few hours after the one-day Easter ceasefire declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin came to an end. In a post on social media, regional Ukrainian officials said there were no immediate reports of injuries…
The Kremlin on Monday debunked reports which suggested that Asma al-Assad, the British-born wife of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, wanted a divorce. The reports also said she wants to leave Russia. Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, also refuted reports which suggested that Assad had been confined to Moscow and had his property assets frozen. Peskov…
Ukraine has claimed killing a senior Russian general, Lt Gen Igor Kirillov, in an explosion in Moscow. The explosive device was reportedly hidden in an electric scooter and detonated outside an apartment building in the Russian capital. Ukraine has claimed the attack which marks one of the boldest targeted assassinations of a senior military official…
US President Joe Biden has cleared Kyiv to use long-range American missiles against military targets inside Russia, a US official told AFP on Sunday, hours after Russia targeted Ukraine’s power grid in a deadly barrage. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, was confirming reports from The New York Times and The Washington Post that…
Britain’s foreign minister David Cameron on Monday said the result of the Russian elections showed “the depth of repression” under President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin praised Putin’s landslide re-election for a fifth term in office as “eloquent confirmation” of the people’s support. But Cameron, who on Sunday evening said the election was neither free nor…