Ilham Aliyev blames Russia for Christmas Day tragedy that claimed lives of 38 people
Russian president calls disaster a ‘tragic incident’ and launches criminal investigation
Slovak prime minister has ‘one-on-one’ meeting at Kremlin as Ukraine prepares to halt transit of Russian gas
Central bank holds interest rate at 21%
President plays down Moscow’s military support for Assad regime and claims Kremlin ‘achieved our goals’
Pyongyang’s soldiers have for the first time fought alongside the Russian military in Kursk
Russian president says Moscow is being pushed to ‘a red line we can’t step back from’
Horaţiu Potra, a former member of the French Foreign Legion, was arrested with 20 other armed men headed for Bucharest
‘Time of Heroes’ scheme is training veterans of Russia’s war in Ukraine to govern
Konstantin Malofeyev says Russian president to engage in talks only if they include broader conflicts
Demonstrators rally for fourth night to protest against government’s freezing of EU accession talks
Russia’s president says Ukrainian government buildings could be hit with new Oreshnik ballistic missile
Strike appears to be an elaborately staged attempt to show Russia will outbid the west over Ukraine
Moscow retaliates after the firing of US and UK-made long-range missiles into Russian territory
Also in this newsletter: Why amendments to the EU’s landmark deforestation law go one step too far
Argentina veto warning sparks fears conservatives will be emboldened to ditch global deals on climate and tax
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says phone call opens ‘Pandora’s box’ by giving Russian leader the resumption in contacts he wants
The Russian president wants to save face on Ukraine but this doesn’t mean he won’t give anything away
Pitch by Sergei Tsivilev, a relative of Vladimir Putin, aimed to tighten oversight of Rosneft and nationalise Lukoil
The fight against the US and its allies has become the organising principle of Putin’s long reign
Russian president congratulates Republican leader on his election victory
First contact reported in Russian region captured by Kyiv in surprise offensive
Cyril Ramaphosa angered the ANC’s largest coalition partner by calling Vladimir Putin a ‘valued friend’
Ukraine says North Korean soldiers expected to be deployed with Russian army as soon as this weekend
Russian president targets US financial dominance in struggle to reduce impact of sanctions
