Vladimir Putin

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.

Putin has stated that peace talks can now start but that the annexed areas are not on the table.

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.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday the grain leaving Ukrainian ports after a blockade that fuelled a global food crisis was mostly reaching Europe instead of developing nations and questioned the merits of the deal.

Russian politicians and media lined up on Monday to heap scorn on Britain's next prime minister, Liz Truss, predicting her ascent to power would do nothing to improve dire relations.

Gorbachev's love-hate relationship with Putin

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Russia on Monday of economic terrorism by trying to prevent European nations from stocking up on gas ahead of a winter when the impact of soaring energy bills is set to hit households and businesses hard.

The U.N. chief and the presidents of Turkey and Ukraine discussed ways to end the war started by Russia and secure Europe's largest nuclear power station, which has come under shelling at the front lines.

Zelensky called on the international community to adopt "new tough sanctions against Russia" and not to yield to "nuclear blackmail"

Ukrainian forces reported heavy Russian shelling and attempts to advance on several towns in the eastern region of Donetsk that has become a key focus of the near six-month war, but said they had repelled many of the attacks.

Rescuers picked through the rubble of an apartment building in eastern Ukraine searching for two dozen people, including a child, feared trapped after a Russian rocket strike on the five-storey building killed 15 people.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Johnson to express his "sadness" over his resignation.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday acknowledged Kyiv's forces had withdrawn from Lysychansk in the eastern Donbas region after a grinding Russian assault, but vowed to regain control over the area with the help of long-range Western weapons.

Widodo has also invited Zelensky to the November 15-16 summit in Bali. The Ukrainian president told Widodo on Wednesday that he will attend the summit depending on who else attends.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky called for the United Nations to visit the site of a missile strike on a shopping mall in the city of Kremenchuk, as he addressed the UN Security Council on Tuesday.

Leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy democracies on Monday pledged to stand with Ukraine "for as long as it takes" by cranking up sanctions on Russia and backing security commitments for Kyiv in a post-war settlement.

Xi assures Putin of China's support for Russian 'sovereignty, security'

Many in attendance spoke of a massive surge in demand as countries ramp up production, both to send munitions to Ukraine and to beef up their own arsenals.

Medvedev: Russia's reforming president turned arch-hawk

Ukrainian and Russian troops fought street by street for control of the industrial city of Sievierodonetsk on Monday in a pivotal battle of the Kremlin offensive in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region.

U.N. aid chief Martin Griffiths is in Moscow on Thursday and Friday to discuss clearing the way for exports of grain and other food from Ukraine's Black Sea ports, a U.N.

The situation on the eastern frontline in Donbas has become increasingly desperate, with Ukrainian towns facing near constant shelling from Russian forces.

Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has dismissed all rumours around Vladimir Putin's health.

European Union leaders agreed on Monday to ban most imports of Russian oil to the 27-nation bloc as Ukrainian and Russian forces battled on the outskirts of Sievierodonetsk, the last city still held by Kyiv in Ukraine's strategic Luhansk province.

In recent weeks, Russia has focused its drive on Donbas after pulling back from a failed advance on Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions.