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Podnosova once said that women weren’t into Putin during their uni years. RUSSIA'S top judge and Putin’s former university pal has died today - just 15 months after taking the helm of the country's supreme court. -snip- Podnosova had revealed in 2001 how a gawky Putin was not fancied by girls at discos at Leningrad State University where they both studied in the law faculty in the Soviet era. “I well remember the last New Year [at university] - everyone dressed in masquerade costumes, and Volodya [Vladimir] came in a modest suit. "He commented: ‘This is Stierlitz’s outfit," in reference...

The draft memorandums on resolving the conflict that Moscow and Kyiv exchanged earlier would be the focus of the third round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. "The subject of talks is rather complicated; apart from other issues, the draft memorandums that the parties exchanged in the second round will also need to be discussed," he pointed out, News.Az reports, citing TASS.

A Ukrainian OnlyFans model who went missing in Dubai and was later found severely injured on the side of the road has claimed that CCTV footage of her final moments before losing consciousness was erased by police in a cover-up. Maria Kovalchuk was discovered suffering from a broken spine and limbs back in March and spent time in hospital in a coma. The 20-year-old is now recovering in Norway and broke her silence in an interview which aired yesterday.

Russia’s banks are reportedly seeking to arrange bailouts from Moscow as borrowers struggle to repay loans across the war-battered economy. At least three of the country’s biggest banks are investigating the possibility of a state rescue, according to Bloomberg News, in the latest sign the nation is struggling under the pressure of its invasion of Ukraine. Officials are said to have ordered banks to avoid disclosing the full level of bad loans and instead to restructure their books to present a healthier image. But this tactic may be nearing the end of the road, requiring support from Moscow. Russia’s economy...

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has claimed the Kremlin could launch "preemptive strikes" on Western nations if they escalate the war in Ukraine just days after United States President Donald Trump demanded a ceasefire. On Tuesday, President Trump threatened to impose "very severe" tariffs on Russia unless the Kremlin negotiated an end to its invasion. The US leader also declared he was "very unhappy" with Russian President Vladimir Putin's reticence to engage in peace talks, in a notable shift away from previous comments praising Russia's leader. The Kremlin subsequently dismissed the threat, with Mr Medvedev, who now acts as the...

Ukraine is waiting for further details of the “billions of dollars” worth of US military equipment promised by Donald Trump on Monday, amid confusion as to how many Patriot air defence systems will be sent to Kyiv. At a meeting at the White House with the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, on Monday, Trump said an unnamed country was ready to immediately provide “17 Patriots” as he said a “very big deal” had been agreed for European allies to buy weapons from the United States and then ship them to Ukraine. Ukraine is currently believed to have only six functioning...

Russia has more potential agricultural area than anywhere else in the world but it has run out of potatoes and onions. Even President Vladimir Putin conceded there is a problem. "It turns out we are short of potatoes," he recently said, noting the lack of sugar beet and some other vegetables too. That came after the price of potatoes soared in Russian shops, almost tripling within the last year, according to official figures. Meanwhile the price of onions has doubled. Cabbage is now 50% more expensive than it was a year ago, says statistics agency Rosstat. Russians had to pay...

President Donald Trump made an announcement Monday aligning him more firmly with Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion than ever before. The US will send weapons to Ukraine through NATO, the president said during a meeting in the Oval Office with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Trump also laid out a new deadline for Russia — threatening trade consequences, including secondary sanctions, if a peace deal isn’t reached in 50 days. Even before the weapons announcement, which the president had telegraphed last week, the hawks were celebrating. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina previewed the announcement Sunday as a “turning...

Russia is staring down a long-term economic threat that could outlast both the war in Ukraine and Western sanctions: a deepening demographic crisis. On Tuesday, Labor Minister Anton Kotyakov underscored the scale of the problem during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin. "Today, according to our estimates, by 2030 we need to involve 10.9 million people in the economy," Kotyakov told Putin, according to a post from the Kremlin. Kotyakov said the number is required to replace 10.1 million people who will reach retirement age, and 800,000 new jobs. Kotyakov warned that if productivity growth falls short of the assumptions...

US President Donald Trump’s fresh tariff threat for Russia’s allies has not gone down well with China, with the latter hitting out at America’s ‘coercion’ tactics. China has expressed strong disapproval on Tuesday regarding the United States' pressure tactics, following President Donald Trump's warning of "very severe" tariffs against Russia's remaining trade partners if the Ukraine conflict remains unresolved within 50 days. "China firmly opposes all illegal unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction. There are no winners in a tariff war, and coercion and pressure will not solve problems," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian has said according to an AFP...

Russia has stepped up its attacks to discredit Donald Trump, as relations between Washington and Moscow go south. -snip- Appearing on Solovyov live, former New York Times journalist and pro-Russian commentator John Varoli laid into Trump following his meeting with Nato chief Mark Rutte over the weekend. "Unfortunately yesterday we witnessed and became totally convinced that President Trump's health is drastically worsening," he said. "He isn't able to speak clearly, coherently or intelligently. The situation with Donald Trump's health is very, very serious. We understand that Donald Trump has truly lost his mind." As evidence, he cited the fact that...

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov revealed on Wednesday that there are currently no plans to organize a phone call between Russian and United States presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. At the same time, he noted that the call could be organized "very quickly." Trump and Putin last spoke on July 3, with the latter leader telling the US president that Moscow will not abandon its goals in Ukraine. The relationship took a turn for the worse in the aftermath of the conversation, with Trump expressing disappointment with his Russian colleague. The US leader subsequently decided to resume weapons supplies to...

Less than two years ago, House Republicans were so livid about the idea of continuing to aid Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression that they deposed their own speaker, Kevin McCarthy, in part to protest what they said was a “secret side deal” he had made to do so. Months later, Speaker Mike Johnson risked his own job to push through a funding package for Ukraine, with the majority of his members voting “no.” But now, more than three years into the war, many Republicans in Congress who have railed consistently against sending more money and weapons to Ukraine...

Israel carried out strikes against Syrian government forces in southwestern Syria for a second day on Tuesday, vowing to keep the area demilitarized and to protect the Druze minority as deadly clashes continued in the region at the Israeli frontier. A Reuters reporter said they heard drones and at least four strikes over the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, and saw a damaged tank being towed away. Bursts of gunfire were heard and three bodies were seen on the ground. Dozens of people have been killed in fighting in the region since Sunday. The surge in violence underlines the challenges...

Daniel Richard Martindale, a U.S. citizen accused of aiding Russian military operations inside Ukraine, has been granted Russian citizenship by decree of President Vladimir Putin. The announcement was made Tuesday in Moscow, where Martindale was shown on state television receiving his Russian passport. Martindale, who reportedly transmitted Ukrainian military coordinates to Russian forces during the war, was praised by Russian officials for his loyalty and direct support of Kremlin objectives in eastern Ukraine, News.Az reports, citing Reuters. Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-installed leader in occupied Donetsk, handed Martindale his new citizenship documents and expressed personal gratitude, stating: “This is a sign...

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday downplayed US President Donald Trump's threat to impose 100 per cent tariffs on Russia and its trading partners, asserting that Moscow is well equipped to withstand additional sanctions. -snip- "We would like to understand what is behind this statement after about 50 days. Earlier, there were also deadlines of 24 hours and 100 days; we’ve seen it all and really would like to understand the motivation of the US president," he said. Lavrov also said the SCO countries have reiterated their commitment to Iran’s legitimate right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy. "We...

US President Donald Trump told Russia on Monday to end its Ukraine war within 50 days or face massive new economic sanctions as he laid out plans for new infusions of weaponry for Kyiv via NATO.Trump said he was "very, very unhappy" with Vladimir Putin, underlining his insistence that his patience had finally snapped with the Russian leader's refusal to end his three-year-old invasion of Ukraine."We're going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don't have a deal in 50 days, tariffs at about 100 percent," Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Sending Ukraine offensive weapons could push Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, retired Adm. James Stavridis, the former NATO supreme allied commander, said on Monday. Speaking ahead of the announcement of the U.S.-NATO weapons deal for Ukraine, Stavridis said he was hoping the deal would “move beyond strictly defensive weapons, such as the Patriot missiles, which are the air defense systems that the Ukrainians desperately need.” “What I would like to see is a provision for the United States to send more harpoon missiles to go after the Black Sea fleet, more HIMARS, surface-to-surface weapons that can reach...

President Trump publicly cast doubt Monday on the need for a bipartisan sanctions bill meant to ratchet up economic pressure on Russia to end its bloody war on Ukraine. “I’m not sure we need it,” Trump quipped during an Oval Office meeting with NATO boss Mark Rutte. “It could be very useful, we will have to see.” The Senate bill, co-sponsored by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), would put 500% tariffs on purchasers of Russian energy — including uranium, gas, and oil. “The 500[% figure] is sort of meaningless after a while because at a certain point...

Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to keep fighting in Ukraine until the West engages on his terms for peace, unfazed by U.S. President Donald Trump's threats of tougher sanctions, and his territorial demands may widen as Russian forces advance, three sources close to the Kremlin said. -snip- "Putin thinks no one has seriously engaged with him on the details of peace in Ukraine — including the Americans — so he will continue until he gets what he wants," one of the sources said on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation. -snip- a second source familiar with...