Kremlin

At a ceremony denounced by Ukraine as a "Kremlin freak show", Russian President Vladimir Putin will proclaim the annexation of four Ukrainian regions on Friday, escalating his seven-month war and taking it into an unpredictable new phase.

A political adviser to the Ukrainian president said on Thursday a ceremony at which Russia plans to annex Ukrainian territory on Friday "does not make legal sense" and denounced what he called a Kremlin freak show.

The Kremlin said Thursday that a foreign state was likely responsible for an incident that resulted in the leaks at the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines linking Russia to Europe.

NATO on Thursday said leaks from the Nord Stream gas pipelines appeared to be sabotage and vowed a "determined response" to any attacks on their critical infrastructure.

Moscow will formally annex four Russia-occupied regions of Ukraine at a Kremlin ceremony on Friday, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said today.

The Kremlin's statements on the possible use of nuclear weapons are "absolutely unacceptable" and Kyiv will not give into it, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said early on Sunday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday urged the world to condemn "pseudo-referendums" as Kremlin proxies began voting on annexation by Russia in Moscow-held areas of Ukraine.

Russia's opposition on Wednesday called for protests against President Vladimir Putin after he ordered the mobilisation of 300,000 reservists for what Kremlin foe Alexei Navalny said was a failing criminal war.

Vladimir Nikolayevich Sungorkin, the editor-in-chief of Russian state newspaper Pravda, has died at the age of 68. Mr Sungorkin, who was a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, had a stroke while on a business trip to Khabarovsk.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday praised China's Xi Jinping for his "balanced" position on the conflict in Ukraine and scolded the United States for what the Kremlin chief said were provocations over Taiwan.

Trade and 'saturation' of Indian market with Russian fertilisers will be on agenda when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in Uzbekistan Friday, the Kremlin has said.

Russia is not expecting any changes to its frosty relations with Britain under new Prime Minister Liz Truss, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

The Kremlin said today that it viewed the arrival of inspectors from the UN atomic agency at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine as "very positive".

The Kremlin on Thursday denounced the decision by EU foreign ministers to suspend a 2007 visa facilitation deal with Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, and warned of potential countermeasures.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the funeral of the last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, his spokesman said on Thursday.

At a ceremony denounced by Ukraine as a "Kremlin freak show", Russian President Vladimir Putin will proclaim the annexation of four Ukrainian regions on Friday, escalating his seven-month war and taking it into an unpredictable new phase.

A political adviser to the Ukrainian president said on Thursday a ceremony at which Russia plans to annex Ukrainian territory on Friday "does not make legal sense" and denounced what he called a Kremlin freak show.

The Kremlin said Thursday that a foreign state was likely responsible for an incident that resulted in the leaks at the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines linking Russia to Europe.

NATO on Thursday said leaks from the Nord Stream gas pipelines appeared to be sabotage and vowed a "determined response" to any attacks on their critical infrastructure.

Moscow will formally annex four Russia-occupied regions of Ukraine at a Kremlin ceremony on Friday, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said today.

The Kremlin's statements on the possible use of nuclear weapons are "absolutely unacceptable" and Kyiv will not give into it, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said early on Sunday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday urged the world to condemn "pseudo-referendums" as Kremlin proxies began voting on annexation by Russia in Moscow-held areas of Ukraine.

Russia's opposition on Wednesday called for protests against President Vladimir Putin after he ordered the mobilisation of 300,000 reservists for what Kremlin foe Alexei Navalny said was a failing criminal war.

Vladimir Nikolayevich Sungorkin, the editor-in-chief of Russian state newspaper Pravda, has died at the age of 68. Mr Sungorkin, who was a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, had a stroke while on a business trip to Khabarovsk.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday praised China's Xi Jinping for his "balanced" position on the conflict in Ukraine and scolded the United States for what the Kremlin chief said were provocations over Taiwan.

Trade and 'saturation' of Indian market with Russian fertilisers will be on agenda when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in Uzbekistan Friday, the Kremlin has said.

Russia is not expecting any changes to its frosty relations with Britain under new Prime Minister Liz Truss, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

The Kremlin said today that it viewed the arrival of inspectors from the UN atomic agency at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine as "very positive".

The Kremlin on Thursday denounced the decision by EU foreign ministers to suspend a 2007 visa facilitation deal with Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, and warned of potential countermeasures.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the funeral of the last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, his spokesman said on Thursday.