Russia

Renewed Moscow-Damascus flights signal revival of ties after Assad's fall - analysis

Syria is expanding its airline network, adding flights from numerous countries over the past year as Damascus seeks to reconnect with the region and Europe.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa shake hands during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on January 28, 2026.
ILLUSTRATIVE: Firefighters and law enforcement work at the site of an explosion at a residential block of flats following a drone hit close to the border with Ukraine, in Galati, Romania, May 29, 2026.

NATO fighter shoots down suspected Russian drone that illegally entered Romanian airspace

 Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attend a meeting in Beijing, China September 3, 2025.

North Korea, Russia reaffirm ties on Korean Liberation Day, as Kim sends Putin more troops

Members of Turkey’s Presidential Guard Regiment.

Turning Turkey’s double bind against it: How Israel is outsmarting Erdogan - opinion


Latvia issues air threat alert, rescinds after fighter jets shoot down drone

Finland, which also shares a border with Russia, imposed a temporarily restricted area for aviation and maritime traffic.

National flag flutters over Latvian central bank headquarters in Riga, Latvia April 9, 2019.

Poland says it arrested Russian hired to kill 'inconvenient' Ukrainian-American citizen

The Russian was detained on August 7 and had been recruited to kill a man who was "inconvenient to the Putin regime," Polish Prime Minister Tusk told journalists.

This photograph taken on February 13, 2025 shows the view of the Kremlin's towers with Moscow's International Business Centre (Moskva City) in the background in Moscow.

Senators press Rubio, Bessent on lack of counter-evasion sanctions on Russia

The US last imposed major sanctions on Russia in October 2025, when the Treasury Department targeted Russian oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil.

(File Photo) Marco Rubio and Scott Bessent arrive before US President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla participate in an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 28, 2026.

Ukraine has retaken 745 sq km in 'precision' operation this year, Zelensky says

Ukraine's military has sought to heap pressure on Moscow's war effort in recent months, counterattacking on parts of the 1,200-km front and striking logistics and energy infrastructure.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Serbia, August 8, 2026.

Zelensky halts drone strikes on Black Sea oil tankers in Russian port after demand from US VP Vance

Ukraine agreed to not target non-Russian ships, so long as they were not sanctioned by Ukraine or carrying any Russian cargo.  

A member of "Timur's Special Forces Unit" of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine waits on a military boat next to Snake Island, also known as Zmiinyi Island, located in the Black Sea, on August 14, 2025.

Russia 'monitoring' as historian critical of Zionism vanishes upon landing in Israel

Russian journalist and former State Duma representative Daria Mitina claimed Artyom Kirpichenok was being held by the Shin Bet.

Artem Kirpichenok.

North Korea fired a ballistic missile ahead of major US-South Korean military exercise, army says

North Korea has conducted ⁠a series of tests this year, including short-range ballistic missiles, artillery rockets and other tactical weapons.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observes an assessment of the newly built naval destroyer Kang Kon's combat systems, including the test firing of a strategic cruise missile, at an unknown location in North Korea, July 3, 2026.

Kremlin releases ailing ex- US Marine Robert Gilman from Russian prison

One US official said that Gilman's release was "an act of goodwill" by hardline Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman, who serves a prison sentence for assaulting a Russian police officer in 2022, attends a court hearing in Voronezh, Russia April 6, 2026.

Austria breaks up sanctions-evasion scheme supplying Russian arms industry

The company concealed its shipments through a network of shell companies in Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, South Korea, Poland and Lithuania, the ministry said.

 Russian Sukhoi Su-35 jet fighters fire missiles during the Aviadarts competition, as part of the International Army Games 2021, at the Dubrovichi range outside Ryazan, Russia August 27, 2021.

Iran demands compensation from Ukraine over deadly Caspian Sea vessel strike - report

One sailor was killed in the strike last month, which Ukraine later said had been carried out by mistake.

A barge sprays water 29 April 2004, during the opening of the Neka oil terminal on the Caspian Sea, 340 kms northwest of Tehran in Mazandaran province, a swap agreement with several Caspian oil producers launched several months ago; illustrative