Russia

The UK is taking threats of foreign interference elections expected later this year "very seriously", the defence minister said Sunday, after a warning from a counter-terrorism official.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met North Korea's top diplomat in the Kremlin on Tuesday in the latest sign of deepening ties between the two authoritarian states.

The US special envoy for Ukraine's economic recovery said Monday that tapping frozen Russian assets would be an "easy" source of money for Kyiv, but the G7 must first agree collectively to do it.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will travel to Switzerland on Monday, his office said, as Ukraine tries to ensure stable support from allies as the war against Russia nears its second anniversary.

Russian poet Lev Rubinstein, a key figure of the Soviet underground literary scene who later protested against President Vladimir Putin, has died days after being hit by a car, his daughter said Sunday.

China-Russia trade reached more than $240 billion, customs figures showed, overshooting a goal of $200 billion set by the neighbours in bilateral meetings last year.

Kyiv's mobile air defences have enough ammunition to withstand a few more powerful attacks, but then will need more Western aid, a senior military commander said Wednesday.

President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Moscow would intensify strikes on military targets in Ukraine, after an unprecedented Ukrainian attack over the weekend on the Russian city of Belgorod.

Authorities transferred Russia's most prominent opposition politician to an isolated penal colony three months before a presidential vote expected to easily hand Vladimir Putin a fifth term.

Finland on Monday signed an agreement to enhance military cooperation with the United States, saying it saw a long-term threat from Russia, a day after its giant neighbor issued a warning over Helsinki's recent entrance into NATO.

The deep freeze has significantly affected scientific research in a region warming around four times faster than the planet as a whole.

The Kremlin on Tuesday criticised what it called US "interference" in the case of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, whose whereabouts are unknown according to his allies.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting key regional ally South Korea on Thursday for talks set to focus on security, as North Korea ramps up military cooperation with Russia.

Thе Krеmlin was lеvеraging mеdia contacts and "financing an on-going, well-funded disinformation campaign" in sеvеral Latin Amеrican nations, the U.S. said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday said he was "not ready" for talks with Russia unless its invading troops withdraw, as Kyiv investigated a deadly strike on its soldiers.

Beijing has billed this week's Xiangshan Forum as its answer to Singapore's Shangri-La Dialogue and says that representatives of 90 countries are taking part, including Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.

The violence in the mostly Muslim region, which erupted amid the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, prompted Israel to call on Russia to protect its citizens.

The library was opened by Dmitry Silin, a local businessman and opponent of the conflict in Ukraine who has since fled Russia fearing he could be imprisoned for his outspoken views.

Russia claimed Wednesday it was exhausting Ukraine's army, 20 months into a conflict in which neither side has made recent significant gains.

After Washington accused Rusia of disrupting international order, Moscow answered by accusing it of escalating the conflict through military reinforcements

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the United States has sought to isolate Moscow and pressure China to keep its distance.

The veteran envoy's two-day visit is expected to lay the groundwork for a future trip to the country by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was invited by leader Kim Jong Un last month at a high-profile summit in Russia's far east.

The Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS) sprung its third coolant leak in under a year Monday, raising new questions about the reliability of the country's space program even as officials said crew members weren't in danger.

Russia, which was booted from the Geneva-based body after it invaded Ukraine last year, will be considered in a vote by the General Assembly for a new seat for the 2024-2026 term.

President Joe Biden admitted Wednesday he was worried that US political turmoil could threaten aid to Ukraine, urging Republicans to stop their infighting and back "critically important" assistance for Kyiv.

Wearing a heat-protective coat with hood and a visor, Sergiy peered down into a glowing orange stream of searing liquid metal at Ukraine's Zaporizhstal steel plant.

"It would be devastating for the Ukrainians" if US aid is halted, said Mark Cancian, a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Russia said Thursday that it plans to raise defence spending by almost 70 percent next year, funnelling massive resources into its Ukraine offensive to fight what it calls a "hybrid war" unleashed by the West.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Mexico had invited all the countries with whom it shared diplomatic relations.

North Korea's Kim Jong Un expressed his "heartfelt thanks" to President Vladimir Putin, state media said Monday, as he headed home after nearly a week in Russia on a defence-focused trip.