VLADIMIR PUTIN

Another Russian citizen was found dead in the Indian state of Odisha on Tuesday, just weeks after the deaths of two other tourists from the country.

Russia continued intense attacks on Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine early on New Year's Day, following a barrage of missiles fired on Saturday, with air raid sirens wailing for hours overnight.

Residents of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv were urged to head to air raid shelters early on Friday as sirens wailed across the city, a day after Russia carried out the biggest aerial assault since it started the war in February.

President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday delivered Russia's long-awaited response to a Western price cap, signing a decree that bans the supply of crude oil and oil products from Feb.

General Alexei Maslov, a former Russian army chief with ties to Ukraine, died "suddenly" at the age of 69.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov gave Ukraine an ultimatum on Monday to fulfil Moscow's proposals, including surrendering territory Russia controls, or its army would decide the issue, a day after President Vladimir Putin said he was open to talks.

Moscow said on Monday its forces had shot down a Ukrainian drone close to a long-range bomber base deep inside Russia, while Ukraine said the Russians had unleashed heavy artillery barrages on its cities in the past 24 hours.

The Ukrainian army counted 71 strikes on the partly recaptured Kherson region on Saturday, including 41 on the city.

A day after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy's visit to the US, Russian President Vladimir Putin has started speaking of wanting to end the war.

President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the Russian army must learn from and fix the problems it had suffered in Ukraine, promising to give the military whatever it needed to prosecute a war nearing the end of its 10th month.

A group of English villagers has declared the Russian president Vladimir Putin "Bellend of the Year."

All non-critical infrastructure in the Ukrainian port of Odesa was without power after Russia used Iranian-made drones to hit two energy facilities, leaving 1.5 million people without power, officials said on Saturday.

A long-time ally of President Vladimir Putin, Alexei Kudrin, said Monday he will be joining Yandex as the Kremlin seeks to tighten its grip on Russia's top technology giant.

The G20 gathering will inevitably be overshadowed by Moscow's offensive in Ukraine, which has shocked global energy markets and aggravated food shortages.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday night said his forces would not yield "a single centimetre" in battles for control of eastern Donetsk region while Russian-installed officials described Ukrainian forces moving into one southern town with tanks.

Intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces was taking place around two towns in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, Bakhmut and Soledar, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday.

A pro-Russia, anti-gay politician was elected speaker of Italy's lower house of parliament on Friday, a day after a nationalist lawmaker who collects fascist memorabilia became speaker of the Senate.

A 47-year-old underworld criminal who was released by the Russian government so he could go and fight in Ukraine was shot dead after he tried to escape the war.

Tens of thousands of Russians have fled since Putin sent troops to Ukraine in February and then announced a nationwide military call-up in September.

The International Monetary Fund's (IMF) executive board will consider Ukraine's request for $1.3 billion in additional emergency funding on Friday as Russia's war against the country continues, two sources familiar with the matter said.

Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Russia to hold demonstration against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.