In 2024, births in Russia fell to 1.22 million — the lowest level since 1999 — while deaths increased by 3.3% annually, to 1.82 million.

Daniel Martindale, a U.S. citizen who helped the Kremlin target Ukrainian troops and was then spirited out of eastern Ukraine by Russian special forces, has received a Russian passport in Moscow. Russian state television broadcast a report on Tuesday showing Martindale,

The candles cost around €6 and promise to fill a room with a unique fragrance in just 30 minutes. From "Aroma Putin Black Vanilla" to "Symbol of the Russian Empire", some are citing this olfactive merchandising as further proof of the cult of personality in Russia.

MICHAEL KIMMAGE is Professor of History at the Catholic University of America. He is the author of Collisions: The Origins of the War in Ukraine and the New Global Instability.

Lindsey Graham, one of Trump's closest allies, has always been a staunch supporter of Washington's tough stance on Russia and Iran.

"Putin's criminal war is getting closer to our borders," Polish Foreign Minister, Radosław Sikorski, said on Wednesday.

President Donald Trump is finally taking the fight to Vladimir Putin. Sort of. For now. Trump’s deference to Russia’s authoritarian leader has been one of the most enduring geopolitical subplots of the past decade.