Finland plans to adopt temporary legislation that will allow its border authorities to block asylum seekers seeking to enter its territory from Russia, the government has said. Finland closed all crossings on its 1,340km (830-mile) border with Russia late last year amid a growing number of arrivals who did not possess valid documents to enter … Read moreFinland moves to block asylum seekers from entering via Russia
Thousands gathered to bid a final farewell to Alexey Navalny, many chanting his name and saying they will not forgive Russian authorities for his death as the opposition leader was laid to rest. Crowds of mourners turned up near a church in southern Moscow on Friday, waiting hours to pay their respects to Navalny under … Read moreThousands bid final farewell to Russia’s Alexey Navalny, risking arrest
Andriy’s undermanned squad can only shoot 10 shells a day at encroaching Russian troops because of a dire shortage of ammunition. The 45-year-old suffers from stomach pains, deteriorating eyesight and other consequences of multiple contusions that landed him in hospital several times. Two years ago, Andriy defended Kyiv in the full-scale war’s first weeks until … Read moreBitter but resilient: Ukraine fights on, two years into Russia’s war
Russia has imposed sanctions on 18 British citizens including officials, academics and Russia experts for what Moscow says is an attempt to demonise Russia and fan the war in Ukraine. “We are forced to state that Russophobically charged British representatives do not shy away trying to discredit the constitutional system and socio-political processes in our … Read moreRussia slaps sanctions on British officials, historians and academics
Russia and Ukraine traded deadly aerial attacks on civilian centres in the past week of the war, but Ukraine also scored hits on military and economic infrastructure deep in the Russian heartland, extending its reach to St Petersburg for the first time. Ukrainian military intelligence said it had struck an unspecified military target in St … Read moreDrones attack deep in Russia as Medvedev threatens Ukraine’s ‘existence’
France has denied Russia’s claim that there were French mercenaries in Ukraine after Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its troops had killed “foreign fighters” earlier this week. “France helps Ukraine with supplies of military material and military training, in full compliance with international law, in order to help Ukraine in its fight to defend its … Read moreFrance denies Russian claim of mercenaries in Ukraine
Russia has warned that it will react robustly to Western moves to seize its assets or deploy missiles. Moscow could sever diplomatic relations with the United States should it confiscate Russian assets frozen under sanctions, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Friday. Officials also said the Kremlin would respond to the deployment of missiles … Read moreRussia blasts US on frozen assets, missiles as Ukraine bombardment persists
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed confidence that the United States and other Western countries will continue to support Ukraine in its battle to repel Russia’s invasion. Speaking during an end-of-year news conference on Tuesday, Zelenskyy said that financial assistance plays a crucial role in the country’s efforts to drive back Russian forces that poured … Read moreZelenskyy confident US will not ‘betray’ Ukraine
The United Nations human rights chief has said there had been an “extensive failure” by Russia to take adequate measures to protect civilians in Ukraine and that there were indications that Russian forces had committed war crimes. Volker Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said on Tuesday that his office’s monitoring indicated “gross … Read moreUN rights chief: ‘Extensive failure’ by Russia to protect Ukraine civilians
More than half a million people are without power in occupied-Crimea, Russia and Ukraine after a storm in the Black Sea region flooded roads, ripped up trees and took down power lines, according to Russian state media and Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy. More than 2,000 towns and villages were without electricity on Sunday night and … Read moreAt least three killed as storm hits Russia, Ukraine’s Black Sea coast