Russia

Russia defence chief inspects front line as Bakhmut battle rages

As the war enters its second year, Russia isn't fighting Ukraine alone and is expected to receive critical assistance from other authoritarian regimes.

The latest reports have claimed that Putin bought a lavish mansion worth £100 million in Moscow through a slush fund in Cyprus.

European chemical producers painted a bleak picture of their prospects for 2023 on Thursday, citing the continuing fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, high inflation and slowing economic growth.

Europe's chief prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi is already investigating frauds that allegedly cost EU taxpayers 14 billion euros -- now she wants to go after the smugglers undermining sanctions against Russia.

The year-long Russian war in Ukraine took centrestage on the eve of a G20 foreign ministers meeting on Wednesday with the European Union foreign policy chief saying the success of the gathering in New Delhi would be measured by what it could do about the war and its impact.

When Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, the shelves of the Novus supermarket chain in Kyiv quickly emptied as its supply chains - domestic and overseas - collapsed.

Moscow will send Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov to address the council in person on Thursday.

Igor Girkin, a former Russian intelligence officer criticised Russia's failure in Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin cast the confrontation with the West over the Ukraine war as an existential battle for the survival of Russia and the Russian people.

Macron to visit China after Beijing's Ukraine peace plan.

A former Russian Federal Security Service general accused Vladimir Putin of being "terribly terrified" since his failure to capture Ukraine.

Oil prices extended gains for a second session on Friday as the prospect of lower exports from Russia offset rising inventories in the United States and concerns over global economic activity.

Russian hackers have reportedly stolen 44 gigabytes of data from Royal Mail and uploaded it on the dark web.

The war in Ukraine dragged into its second year on Friday, with no end in sight to a conflict launched by Russia that has killed tens of thousands of people, flattened cities and towns, forced millions to flee and brought a Cold War chill to global ties.

The elite businessmen are mostly keeping a low profile, but some have launched costly legal counteroffensives while many others seek sanctuary in sanctions-free nations.

Marking one year of war, Ukraine and Russia lobbied countries at the United Nations on Wednesday for backing ahead of a vote by the 193-member General Assembly that the United States declared will "go down in history."

Trucks carrying Coca Cola roll across the border into Russia, tourists return from abroad laden with Zara's latest designs, and local online marketplaces snap up IKEA's furniture stocks.

HSBC HSBA.L> said it still expects to complete the sale of its Russia business in first-half 2023, in the most significant update on the progress of the deal since it said in July 2022 it had agreed to sell the unit to local lender Expobank.

Administrators of Sova Capital, a collapsed London broker formerly controlled by Russian banker Roman Avdeev, are seeking UK court approval to sell a pile of Russian securities to Avdeev in a complex and novel attempt to shift illiquid Russian assets.

US President Joe Biden on Monday made a trip to Kyiv organised in strict secrecy, promising $500 million in fresh arms deliveries and "unwavering" American support ahead of the first anniversary of Russia's invasion.

World leaders are meeting at the Munich Security Conference with conflict still raging almost a year after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine.

Representatives of the 27 European Union countries meet in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss a new batch of sanctions against Russia, which the head of the bloc's executive said could cost 11 billion euros ($11.8 bln) in lost trade.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk has issued clarification on why he restricted Ukraine's access to its Starlink satellite internet service for military purposes.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged allies to be speedy in sending more military help as NATO defence ministers met on Wednesday and Russia bombarded the eastern front line in what appeared to be the early salvoes of a new offensive.

The eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut was facing heavy artillery fire as the NATO chief backed reports from local officials that a major new Russian offensive had begun, days before the first anniversary of Moscow's invasion.

Since the start of the war, Western governments have stalled on Zelensky's appeals for aircraft.

Ukraine has threatened to boycott the event if Russian athletes are allowed to compete.

Ukraine's leader pressed at British heart strings when he evoked "the so few" pilots defending his skies from Russia's invasion.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said personnel changes on the border and front line will bolster Ukraine's military efforts amid uncertainty over the future of his defence minister, just as Russia advances for the first time in six months in the east.