Russia has grappled with a shrinking and aging population for decades, with President Vladimir Putin viewing it as a threat to national security.

European leaders vowed to work in coordination to ratchet up the pressure on Russia as the so-called “coalition of the willing” met in London to discuss strategies to end the war in Ukraine.

Russia believes some NATO members, in particular Poland, want to abandon restrictions on the deployment of nuclear weapons in their countries, which would aggravate “strategic risks” and tensions, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

British prosecutors said that the arson — organized on behalf of the Wagner paramilitary group — was intimately connected to the Russian state

The Trump administration on Wednesday imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies as it called on Moscow to agree to an immediate ceasefire in the war with Ukraine.

Reliance Industries Ltd, the top Indian buyer of Russian oil, will abide by Western sanctions against Moscow while maintaining its relationship with current oil suppliers, its spokesperson said in a statement.

Kyiv is launching air raids deep into Russia with a small number of drones seeking to find holes in Putin's air defences

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was delighted to learn last week that Russia and the United States had chosen his country as the venue for another summit on ending the war in Ukraine.