Page 8 - Russia

Russia accuses Ukraine of drone attack on Putin's residence; Trump reacts

Russia has said it will not pull out of negotiations despite the Ukrainian armed forces' attack on the presidential residence

Russia hits Kyiv with missiles, drones ahead of Ukraine-US talks, 1 killed

Russia attacked Ukraine's capital with missiles and drones early on Saturday morning, killing one and wounding over 20 people, a day before talks between Ukraine and the US, local authorities said. Explosions boomed across the capital for hours as ballistic missiles and drones hit the city. The attack began in the early morning hours on Saturday and was continuing as the day broke. The attack came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepares to meet with US President Donald Trump on Sunday for further talks in an effort to end the nearly 4-year-old war. Zelenskyy said they plan to discuss issues, including security guarantees and territorial issues, in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. Russia targeted Ukraine with almost 500 drones and 40 missiles of various types, Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram. The main target was energy and civilian infrastructure in Kyiv, he said. In some districts of the region, there is no electricity or heating because of the attacks, he ...

Putin's India visit reaffirms strategic alignment and mutual trust: Russia

Agreements reached during Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent India visit reaffirmed the alignment of strategic goals and the "steadfastness" of the two countries' "time-tested mutual trust, the Foreign Ministry here said on Friday in its year-end statement. Putin visited India for a two-day state visit earlier this month for the 23rd India-Russia annual summit, during which the two countries unveiled a raft of measures, including a five-year roadmap to build a robust economic partnership. The visit was named one of the key achievements of Russian foreign policy by the ministry in its statement. The agreements reached during the Russian President's December visit to India confirmed the alignment of strategic goals and the steadfastness of the time-tested mutual trust between the two countries," it said. "A comprehensive joint statement was adopted, along with a package of 28 documents, including a programme for developing strategic areas of Russian-Indian economic cooperatio

Putin open to territory exchange while demanding full control of Donbas

In essence, Putin wants the whole of Donbas but outside that area "a partial exchange of territories from the Russian side is not ruled out," Kolesnikov wrote in the newspaper

Russian court jails Putin critic Udaltsov for 6 years on terrorism charges

A court in Russia on Thursday convicted a pro-war activist and critic of President Vladimir Putin of justifying terrorism and sentenced him to six years in prison. Sergei Udaltsov, the leader of the Left Front movement that opposes Putin and is affiliated with the Communist Party, was arrested last year. According to Russian independent news site Mediazona, the charges against him stem from an article Udaltsov posted online in support of another group of Russian activists accused of forming a terrorist organisation. Those activists were convicted earlier this month and handed sentences ranging from 16 to 22 years in prison. Udaltsov has rejected the charges against him as fabricated. On Thursday, he denounced the verdict as shameful and said he was going on a hunger strike, Mediazona reported. According to the court ruling, the activist will be serving his sentence in a maximum security penal colony. Udaltsov was a prominent opposition figure during the 2011-12 mass protests in ..

Why Russia is likely to reject the US-backed peace plan on Ukraine

The new blueprint includes the security guarantees Kyiv wants to prevent future Russian aggression, as well as plans to rebuild the war-ravaged nation

Russia's spirits exports to India jump nearly fourfold in 10 months

The exports of Russian spirits to India have nearly quadrupled in the first 10 months of the year compared to the same period last year, making India an attractive emerging market for Russian exporters, according to a media report. Citing data from the Federal Centre for Agricultural Export Development of the Russian Ministry of Agriculture (Agroexport), leading financial and trade daily Vedomosti said India is emerging as an attractive market for Russian exporters of Vodka and other hard alcoholic beverages. In the first 10 months of 2025, Russian spirits producers shipped approximately 520 tonnes of spirits, including vodka, gin, whiskey, and liqueurs, worth USD 900,000 to India, this is three times higher in weight and four times higher in monetary terms than the same period last year, it said. Agroexport claims that vodka was the main driver of exports. In monetary terms, its shipments over the 10 months amounted to approximately USD 760,000. Although India ranked only 14th amo

Open to creating demilitarised zone in eastern Ukraine, says Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would be willing to withdraw troops from the country's eastern industrial heartland as part of a plan to end Russia's war, if Moscow also pulls back and the area becomes a demilitarised zone monitored by international forces. The proposal offered another potential compromise on control of the Donbas region, which has been a major sticking point in peace negotiations. Zelenskyy said the US proposed the creation of a free economic zone," which he said should be demilitarised. But it was unclear what that idea would mean for governance or development of the region. A similar arrangement could be possible for the area around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is currently under Russian control, Zelenskyy said. He said any peace plan would need to be put to a referendum. Zelenskyy spoke to reporters Tuesday to describe an overarching 20-point plan that negotiators from Ukraine and the US hammered out in Florida in recent days, th

Russia plans to build nuclear power plant on Moon within a decade

Roscosmos said the purpose of the plant was to power Russia's lunar programme, including rovers

Progress in US-led peace talks 'quite solid', says Ukrainian Prez Zelenskyy

Initial drafts of US proposals for a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia meet many of Kyiv's demands, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday, although he suggested that neither side in the almost four-year war is likely to get everything it wants in talks on reaching a settlement. Overall, it looks quite solid at this stage, the Ukrainian leader said of recent talks with US officials who are trying to steer the neighbouring countries toward compromises. There are some things we are probably not ready for, and I'm sure there are things the Russians are not ready for either, Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv. US President Donald Trump has for months been pushing for a peace agreement. However, the negotiations have run into sharply conflicting demands from Moscow and Kyiv. But US envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday he held productive and constructive talks in Florida with Ukrainian and European representatives. Zelenskyy said that nearly 90% of Ukraine's demands have been .

Nato intel suspects Russia developing weapon to target Starlink satellites

Two NATO-nation intelligence services suspect Russia is developing a new anti-satellite weapon to target Elon Musk's Starlink constellation with destructive orbiting clouds of shrapnel, with the aim of reining in Western space superiority that has helped Ukraine on the battlefield. Intelligence findings seen by The Associated Press say the so-called zone-effect weapon would seek to flood Starlink orbits with hundreds of thousands of high-density pellets, potentially disabling multiple satellites at once but also risking catastrophic collateral damage to other orbiting systems. Analysts who haven't seen the findings say they doubt such a weapon could work without causing uncontrollable chaos in space for companies and countries, including Russia and its ally China, that rely on thousands of orbiting satellites for communications, defence, and other vital needs. Such repercussions, including risks to its own space systems, could steer Moscow away from deploying or using such a weapon,

Ukraine deploys low-cost interceptor drones to counter Russia's air attacks

The icy ground crackling under their feet, members of an elite Ukrainian drone-hunting team set up for a long night. Antennas and sensors are clipped to a light stand. Monitors and controls are pulled from hard cases, and a game-changing new weapon is readied for deployment. The Sting, shaped like a flying thermos, is one of Ukraine's new homegrown interceptors. The unit's commander says the interceptors can effectively counter Russia's fast-evolving suicide drones, which are now flying faster and at higher altitudes. Every destroyed target is something that did not hit our homes, our families, our power plants, said the officer, known only by the call sign Loi, in line with Ukrainian military protocol. The enemy does not sleep, and neither do we. Nightly attacks on Ukrainian cities and power infrastructure have forced Kyiv to rewrite the air defense rule book and develop cut-price drone killers costing as little as $1,000. Interceptors went from prototype to mass production in j

Russia launched 1,300 drones, 1,200 guided bombs at Ukraine: Zelenskyy

President Zelenskyy, in a post on X, said that the European Council has allocated Euros 90 billion for 2026-27, along with assistance packages from Norway and Japan

Talks with Ukraine, Europe on ending war with Russia 'constructive': US

A White House envoy said Sunday he held productive and constructive talks in Florida with Ukrainian and European representatives to end the nearly four-year war between Russia and Ukraine. Posting on social media, Steve Witkoff said the talks aimed at aligning on a shared strategic approach between Ukraine, the United States and Europe. Our shared priority is to stop the killing, ensure guaranteed security, and create conditions for Ukraine's recovery, stability, and long-term prosperity. Peace must be not only a cessation of hostilities, but also a dignified foundation for a stable future," US President Donald Trump's envoy said. The talks are part of the Trump administration's monthslong push for peace. Trump has unleashed an extensive diplomatic push to end the war, but his efforts have run into sharply conflicting demands by Moscow and Kyiv. Putin has recently signalled he is digging in on his maximalist demands on Ukraine, as Moscow's troops inch forward on the battlefield ...

Trade agreement between India and EAEU to exclude areas of services

The Eurasian Economic Union comprises five countries - the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan

US peace plan for Ukraine are moving ahead constructively, says Russia

A Kremlin envoy says peace talks on a US-proposed plan to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine were pressing on "constructively in Florida. The talks are part of the Trump administration's monthslong push for peace that also included meetings with Ukrainian and European officials in Berlin earlier this week. The discussions are proceeding constructively. They began earlier and will continue today, and will also continue tomorrow, Kirill Dmitriev told reporters Saturday, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. Dmitriev met with US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in Miami, the agency reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that much will depend on the US posture after discussions with the Russians. This came a day after Ukraine's chief negotiator said his delegation had completed separate meetings in the United States with American and European partners. Trump has unleashed an extensive ...

8 killed, dozens wounded in Russian strike on Ukraine's Odesa port

Eight people were killed and 27 wounded in a Russian missile strike on port infrastructure in Odesa, southern Ukraine, late on Friday, Ukraine's Emergency Service said on Saturday morning. Some of the wounded were on a bus at the epicentre of the overnight strike, the service said in a Telegram post. Trucks caught fire in the parking lot, and cars were also damaged. The port was struck with ballistic missiles, said Oleh Kiper, the head of the Odesa region. Elsewhere, Ukrainian forces hit a Russian warship and other facilities with drones, Ukraine's General Staff said in a statement on Saturday. The nighttime attack on Friday hit the Russian warship Okhotnik, according to the statement posted to the Telegram messaging app. The ship was patrolling in the Caspian Sea near an oil and gas production platform. The extent of the damage is still being clarified, the statement added. A drilling platform at the Filanovsky oil and gas field in the Caspian Sea was also hit. The facility is .

Russian President offers no compromise on Ukraine, says EU 'robbery' failed

Putin set out the Kremlin's stance on the war in the opening moments of his annual end-of-year press conference, a marathon event that typically runs for some four hours

EU leaders agree to $106 bn loan to Ukraine for 2026-2027 amid peace hopes

EU leaders were under intense pressure to agree to the massive loan for Ukraine at the make-or-break summit after months of talks failed to break the deadlock over the contentious plan

Russian ban on Roblox stirs debate about limits of online censorship

For many young Russians, Roblox was a window onto a vast world of games and potential friends around the globe