VLADIMIR PUTIN

Moscow says inflation is easing and employment is virtually full, contradicting the predictions of a catastrophe from many financial experts.

The British spy chief also said Putin is now committing "strategic errors in judgment" in the war in Ukraine.

Yuri Milner's net worth stands at $7.3 billion.

Following battlefield losses by the Russian forces, the former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman believes Putin is now like a "cornered animal."

Maps shared by the Russian Defense Ministry on Tuesday showed that the country's army in Kherson had retreated toward the border of Luhansk Oblast.

None of the contract soldiers ended up writing a police statement after the incident.

The dead soldier had two slashes on his neck, and a blade was found beside his body, according to reports.

Russia President Vladimir Putin's allies also suggested that Moscow's military commander should be sent to the frontlines armed only with a machine gun.

The pontiff also called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "to be open to serious proposals for peace."

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also called Russian President Vladimir Putin's nuclear threats "illegal" and "irresponsible" during an interview with CNN.

The incident allegedly happened a day after Russia announced troop mobilization.

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.

"If a mistake is made, I repeat, it must be corrected. Those who were called up without proper reason should be returned home," Putin said in a videoconference with his top security officials.

Relatives of the Russian draftees said they were not given any explanation as to what would happen after signing the war forms.

CIA Director William Burns noted that it is still "very hard to say" whether Putin's threats of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine is a bluff.

Edward Snowden was one of the 72 foreign-born individuals who were granted Russian citizenship by President Vladimir Putin on Monday.

Vladimir Putin signed a decree Monday granting Russian citizenship to Edward Snowden.

The estate is close to Orthodox churches that Putin is known to have visited at times of crisis during his more than two decades in power, according to reports.

Russian men who were arrested after protesting against Putin's partial mobilization were also conscripted into the military, reports said.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the desertion issue is brought about by low morale and issues within the Russian command.

A New York Times investigation based on nearly 160,000 files from Russia's telecom regulator suggests the country has erected a massive surveillance network.