Russia

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Russian Economy's Singular Focus Complicates Things

Everything has been reoriented around war

(Newser) - The reason why Vladimir Putin is slow-walking peace talks with Ukraine might make sense—or, more specifically, dollars and cents. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Russian president has reoriented the economy to produce the weapons of war and pay the soldiers who are waging it, which changes the...

A Hint of Russia's Plans for Zaporizhzhia Emerges

Satellite images reveal construction of fresh power lines, says Greenpeace

(Newser) - Russia captured Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant early in the war . A new Greenpeace report viewed by the New York Times records the "first physical evidence" that Moscow is quietly plotting to source energy from the facility. Per the report, which is based in part on satellite...

Russia Downplays Trump's Slam of Putin

Everyone is 'emotional' right now, says a Kremlin spokesman

(Newser) - President Trump complained on Sunday that Vladimir Putin has gone "absolutely crazy" given his continued assaults on Ukraine. On Monday, the Kremlin responded in what the BBC describes as a "pointedly polite" manner:
  • "This is a very important moment which is connected to an emotional overload of
...

Trump on Putin: He's 'Gone Absolutely CRAZY'

US president has some of his harshest words yet for Russian counterpart

(Newser) - President Trump on Sunday delivered some remarkably harsh comments on the subject of his Russian counterpart. Asked by reporters as he was preparing to board Air Force One from New Jersey back to Washington, DC, for an update on the Russia situation, Trump responded, "Yeah, I'll give you...

Amid Massive Russian Strikes, Moscow, Kyiv Swap POWs

Each side brings home 303 soldiers, as Moscow hits Ukraine with biggest assault of the war

(Newser) - Russia and Ukraine swapped hundreds more prisoners on Sunday, the third and last part of a major exchange that reflected a rare moment of cooperation in otherwise failed efforts to reach a ceasefire in more than three years of war. Just hours earlier, Ukrainian capital Kyiv and other regions came...

For Germany's Military, It's a First Since WWII

Nation stations a permanent brigade in a foreign nation, Lithuania

(Newser) - Germany has launched its first permanent foreign troop deployment since World War II— stationing an armored brigade in Lithuania to help strengthen NATO's eastern defenses against Russia, reports the Guardian .
  • "This is a historic day," Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said during a Thursday ceremony with German
...

Russia Outlaws Amnesty International

Rights group joins a long list of 'undesirable organizations'

(Newser) - Russian authorities outlawed Amnesty International on Monday as an "undesirable organization," a label that under a 2015 law makes involvement with such organizations a criminal offense. The decision by the Russian Prosecutor General's office, announced in an online statement, is the latest in the unrelenting crackdown on...

First Direct Ukraine-Russia Talks in Years Didn't Last Long

Ukrainian source says Russian demands were 'detached from reality'

(Newser) - Ukrainian and Russian officials met for their first direct negotiations in more than three years on Friday, but they didn't last long. The Telegraph reports that the talks in Istanbul lasted just 90 minutes. A Ukrainian diplomatic source tells Reuters that the Russian side's demands were "detached...

Latvia: Those Hikers Might Actually Be Russian Spies

Officials warn adaptable spies may be carrying survival gear, medical kits, maps, and radios

(Newser) - They might look like lost tourists—unkempt and overloaded with gear—or hikers with military haircuts, survival gear, and no clue how to behave in the woods. But Latvia's intelligence agency said Wednesday that they might actually be Russian saboteurs and spies, per the AP . In its annual report,...

Trump: No Peace 'Until Putin and I Get Together'

President is asked about Russian leader's decision to skip peace talks with Ukraine

(Newser) - Thursday might have been a big day in the quest for Russia-Ukraine peace, but Vladimir Putin opted to skip direct talks in Turkey. He sent a mid-level delegation instead, which Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed as "decorative," reports Reuters . Putin's decision ended any hope of a quick...

Putin Not Attending Russia-Ukraine Talks
Putin Skipping
Russia-Ukraine Talks
May 15, 2025 2:22 AM CDT

Putin Skipping Russia-Ukraine Talks

Which means his Ukrainian counterpart also will not be in Istanbul for the negotiations

(Newser) - Peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are set to begin in Turkey Thursday, but Russia's president won't be there. The Kremlin confirmed that rather than Vladimir Putin, it will be sending Vladimir Medinsky to head up its delegation. The Guardian refers to Medinsky as a "hardline" Putin...

She's Researching Aging. ICE Has Her Behind Bars

Russian scientist Kseniia Petrova writes for the New York Times from a Louisiana detention center

(Newser) - When Kseniia Petrova fled Russia two years ago, she did so because she didn't feel she could freely and safely carry out her work as a scientist there, especially after she was arrested for taking part in a protest. She landed at Harvard Medical School, and her work on...

Russia Was Behind Vast 2024 Fire, Poland Says

Tusk announces the culprits have been identified

(Newser) - European security agencies suggested as much at the time, and Poland on Sunday officially blamed a huge fire that destroyed a large shopping center in Warsaw last year on arson ordered by Russian intelligence services. The May 12, 2024, blaze occurred in a center that housed 1,400 shops and...

Under New Pressure, Putin Offers Direct Talks

But Ukraine, European allies are demanding a ceasefire take effect first

(Newser) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday he's open to restarting direct peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday "without preconditions." The offer comes as Ukraine and key Western allies push Moscow to accept a 30-day unconditional ceasefire in the ongoing war, reports the AP . Putin...

In Kyiv, 'Coalition of the Willing' Puts Pressure on Putin

Heads of UK, France, Germany, Poland want Russia to OK ceasefire on Ukraine starting Monday

(Newser) - In a show of unity in Kyiv on Saturday, leaders from four major European countries threatened to ratchet up pressure if Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn't accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire. The leaders, from France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Poland, said the proposal to start the ceasefire on...

Biden on Trump So Far: 'What the Hell's Going On Here?'

Former president calls Trump's moves on Ukraine 'appeasement' of Russia, talks dropping out of race

(Newser) - Former President Biden had his first official interview since leaving office in January, and he had a lot to say about his successor in the Oval Office. Speaking with the BBC in an interview that aired Wednesday, the former commander in chief slammed President Trump's handling of the Russian...

Russia's Airports Close as Drones Rain Down

13 of them, including 4 major airports near Moscow, after Russia says it stopped 100 Ukrainian drones

(Newser) - All four international airports around Moscow temporarily suspended flights on Tuesday as Russian forces intercepted more than 100 Ukrainian drones fired at almost a dozen Russian regions, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said. Nine other regional Russian airports also temporarily stopped operating as drones struck areas along the border with...

Report: Journo Held by Russia Tortured, Had Organs Swiped

Forbidden Stories says body of Ukrainian reporter Viktoriia Roshchyna offered disturbing clues

(Newser) - Viktoriia Roshchyna is the first Ukrainian journalist known to have died in Russian hands in the three-year-plus war in Ukraine, and now some disturbing details are emerging on captivity and death. Per a new report released by journalism nonprofit Forbidden Stories , in conjunction with more than a dozen other outlets,...

For First Time, North Korea Confirms Its Troops Are in Russia

Pyongyang did not confirm how many have been sent

(Newser) - North Korea confirmed Monday for the first time that it sent troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine, saying the deployment was meant to help Russia regain its Kursk region that Ukrainian forces seized in a surprise incursion last year, the AP reports. US, South Korean, and Ukraine...

Russia: Suspect Says Ukraine Paid Him to Kill General

Yaroslav Moskalik was assassinated in a car bombing as Trump envoy arrived in Moscow for talks with Putin

(Newser) - Russian authorities said Sunday that a man charged in the death of a senior general has admitted to the killing and said he was paid by the Ukrainian Security Service. The defendant pleaded guilty to terrorism charges, the Investigative Committee said, in the car bombing of Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik...

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