News about Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered troops based near Ukraine to practice nuclear weapons scenarios in a bid to 'deter' adversaries following perceived threats of escalation from Western leaders. Military drills in the undisclosed 'near future' will include practice for the preparation and deployment of non-strategic nuclear weapons, Russias' defence ministry claimed. The ministry said today the exercises would be carried out 'in response to provocative statements and threats by certain Western officials against the Russian Federation', the Kremlin citing threats to deploy troops in Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin horrified former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi by presenting him with the warm heart of deer to eat during a hunting trip, a former Italian senator has claimed. Fabrizio Cicchitto, an ex-official from Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, shared a new account of the late Prime Minister's relationship with the Russian dictator, claiming Berlusconi threw up after Putin cut the heart out of a deer and offered it to him as an 'exceptional meal'. Berlusconi, who served four terms between 1995 and 2011, was said to have recounted how Putin badgered him into going on a hunting trip while staying together in a lodge - before taking him to shoot roe deer.

It's been 19 years since one of the Super Bowl championship rings owned by Robert Kraft was taken by Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Kraft hasn't forgotten.

The 59-year-old British. wife of Prince Edward has stepped up her royal duties since the King's coronation , a year ago today - particularly recently, after she took on engagements on behalf of the cancer-stricken monarch amid his treatment. Charles, 75, paused all public-facing engagements after his diagnosis in February, but continued to meet dignitaries and others at the Palace. During his absence, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh were the second busiest royals behind Princess Anne, 73. Between them, the couple conducted 128 engagements. Edward and Sophie were granted their new titles in March 2023 to commemorate the Duke's 59th birthday - and since then they have stepped up their royal duties, especially in the wake of King Charles ' cancer treatment.

It's been 19 years since one of the Super Bowl championship rings owned by Robert Kraft was taken by Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Kraft hasn't forgotten. During a live broadcast of The Roast of Tom Brady on Netflix, Kraft called out the world leader. 'In case Vladimir Putin you're watching, give me my f**king ring back, will ya?,' Kraft said after he gave a toast to Brady.

When Britain's biggest private house, a mega-mansion called Witanhurst on Highgate Hill in north London , went on the market in 2008, it was close to a ruin. The roof was riddled with leaks, the floorboards were warped and cornices embellished with gold leaf were blighted by mould. Given that this 90,000 sq ft property had a total of 65 rooms - including 25 bedrooms - and a ballroom 70ft long and 20ft high, with an elaborate ceiling that takes six months to paint, it amounted to the country's ultimate doer-upper.

Russia's ruler is set for another six years in the Kremlin after emphatically and unsurprisingly winning March's presidential poll, with his new term formally beginning on Tuesday. Two days later there will be the traditional display of military might in the Russian capital's Red Square in Victory Day processions marking the country's contribution to defeating Nazi Germany in the Second World War. The latest showcase - which has seen large-scale rehearsals at the heart of Moscow today - comes amid reports Russia is losing 1,000 troops per day in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine which was launched back in February 2022. Mr Putin was today seen attending a mass alongside Orthodox Christians celebrating Easter - while Russian rocket and drone attacks killed two and wounded at least six people in Ukraine overnight.

Russian rocket and drone attacks have killed two and wounded at least six people in Ukraine overnight. The attacks came as Orthodox Christians in Ukraine and Russia celebrated Easter, with the Kremlin showing no respite during the holy occasion despite Vladimir Putin putting on a facade of piousness during a national address. Ukrainian officials said that Russia fired 24 Iranian-style 'Shahed' drones at its territory overnight, 23 of which were shot down. However, the one which made it through hit a building in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, injuring six people including a nine-year-old girl. Meanwhile in the city of Pokrovsk, 35 miles from the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk, a rocket attack killed two people. Other strikes took place in the Nikopol and Dnipro regions after they were targeted by 12 drones (pictured), causing a number of fires, although no one was killed or hurt in these attacks.

Aiden Minnis, 37, from Chippenham, in Wiltshire, fled to take up arms for the Russian despot when the war broke out in 2022, alongside 48-year-old Ben Stimson from Oldham. They fought alongside Kremlin forces in the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Donbas. Minnis, a former member of the far-right National front, previously proudly declared he 'hates' the UK. He is now trying to lure others to come join him and has vowed 'there's no better glory than to fight for what is right'. Minnis, who also has a conviction for a racist attack, bragged in a Facebook post that 'British men and women are contacting me wanting to join the Russian war effort', reported The Sunday Mirror.

An ex-British Army chief has warned Britain must double its defence spending to 'frighten' Vladimir Putin (inset), despite Rishi Sunak's promise of a cash boost. Lord Richard Dannatt (right), who was in charge of the Army from 2006 to 2009, raised concerns that Britain isn't doing enough to deter Russia from potential attacks. Lord Dannatt called on the government to increase defence funding to five per cent - double the amount of Rishi Sunak's new plans to raise it to 2.5 per cent. It comes amid rising fears of World War III as Russia continues its assault on Ukraine. On top of that, the Israel-Hamas conflict threatens to spread violence across the Middle East, with Lebanon's Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthi rebels increasing their attacks on Israel - prompting the UK and US to launch strikes by air and sea.

President Vladimir Putin appeared withdrawn and downcast in a rare public appearance at Orthodox Easter Mass in Moscow. The Russian tyrant seemed to stare blankly out towards the congregation as he went through the religious motions during the mass. The Russian tyrant's mood could have been a result of claims that the country's armed forces are looking 1,000 men a day on the front line in the conflict with Ukraine. Putin attended a service at the packed Christ the Savior Cathedral for a night-time Easter service led by Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church and an outspoken supporter of the Kremlin. While the Ukrainian Defence Ministry estimates Russian deaths and causalities could total as many as 450,000, Russia has not released any figures since September 2022.

Grant Shapps was challenged last night over plans to spend twice as much on yachts as on new bullets for the Army's machine guns. The Defence Secretary faced calls to explain proposals to splash out nearly £8million replacing the Ministry of Defence's fleet of sailing boats but only £4million on that ammunition. One MP privately mocked the plans last night, saying: 'We're supposed to be showing Vladimir Putin how tough we are - not give him a laugh.'

Taiwan 'is a place where China definitely wants Russia to be working with them,' Avril Haines, Director of US National Intelligence, told the US Congress on Thursday.

A Russian nuclear anti-satellite could have 'devastating' consequences, the Pentagon warned this week. Meanwhile, China deployed a mission to the dark side of the moon which NASA warned could pose a security threat, claiming the country is using its civilian space program as a cover for military operations.

A purported Russian military training ground was seen being hit by multiple explosions typical of an ATACMS strike in footage captured by a drone flying high above. The strike targeted a group of 100-plus soldiers who were seen in aerial images, say OSINT analysts in what would by the single largest loss of Russian stories in months. The ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) showered the troops with hundreds of M74 APAM mini-bombs which are carried by the missiles and deployed in clusters. The strike was some 48 miles behind the frontline at a training base, it was reported.

The British Foreign Secretary promised three billion pounds of annual military aid for Ukraine for 'as long as it takes' on Thursday. Announcing the aid, Lord Cameron added that London had no objection to the weapons being used inside Russia by Ukraine's forces.

US and Russian warplanes came face to face in the sky on Thursday after Vladimir Putin sent up two Tu-95MS nuclear bombers over the Bering Sea, near Alaska's western coast. The Russian defense minister admitted its hulking 'Bear' strategic bombers 'appeared near the coast of Alaska' on an 11 hour flight over the neutral waters Bering Sea. Moscow said 'at certain stages the missile carriers were accompanied by fighter jets of foreign countries'. Four Kremlin military jets were detected and tracked operating near American airspace in an area where Russian aircraft activity is regularly detected, NORAD confirmed. The US authority added that the Russian jets 'remained in international airspace'.

More than £200million of taxpayers' cash has been spent on fully-funded scholarships to foreign students in the past four years, the Mail can reveal. While UK students are saddled with tens of thousands of pounds of debt, Chevening Scholarship recipients have their flights, accommodation and tuition fees paid for. They are available to 'outstanding emerging leaders' from across the world to pursue one-year master's degrees in Britain. But many recipients appear capable of paying their own way - with even a Prince from Lesotho among the distinguished Chevening alumni. The Mail can now reveal that the scheme costs taxpayers more than £50million each year, according to figures released under Freedom of Information laws.

Evil Dmitry Malyshev (left), 36, had been jailed for frying the heart of one of the three men he killed, which he seasoned with herbs and cooked with vegetables before eating. Sickening rapist and killer Alexander Maslennikov (right), 38, used an axe and a meat grinder to cut up and mince the bodies of two women, Olga Shaposhnikova (bottom) and Daria Labutina (top), who he invited to his flat for a pizza, before 'feeding human flesh to the dogs'. The criminals were among hundreds of thousands of prisoners released to fight for a special Defence Ministry unit Storm V against Ukraine, and were pictured grinning together in military fatigues after being freed from jail by the dictator.

Macron has said he would be prepared to send troops to Ukraine if Vladimir Putin's forces break through the front lines - further raising the risk of NATO forces clashing with Russia's armies.

In an interview published today, he did not rule out sending troops to aid Kyiv , saying the issue would 'legitimately' arise if Kyiv made such a request. The Economist said Macron gave the interview after delivering a keynote speech last week where he declared that Europe is 'mortal' and could 'die' partly due to the threat posed by Russian aggression after its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. It also came as Russia claimed its forces had taken another town in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, with Moscow 's armies continuing to push against Kyiv's defences. Russia is rushing to advance against struggling Ukrainian forces ahead of the long-awaited arrival of the bulk of US weapons to the front for Kyiv's outgunned troops.

Putin's forces are alleged to have used chloropicrin likely in an effort to 'dislodge Ukrainian forces from fortified positions and achieve tactical gains on the battlefield', the US State Department claimed on Wednesday. Chloropicrin is a toxic agent that was originally designed for use as poison gas in World War I.

Families flocked to see a haunting collection of military 'trophies' brought back to Russia from Ukrainian battlefields on Wednesday as the country marked a public holiday at Moscow's Victory Park. Armoured vehicles from a dozen NATO countries, as well as drones, rocket launchers and American tanks, were displayed in the symbolic space dedicated to Russia's triumph over the Nazis in World War II. The army did not say where exactly where the rows of armoured vehicles were captured - or at what cost - only that they came from Russian-occupied eastern and southern Ukraine. 

Ukraine is adding an AI spokesperson to its arsenal in the war against Russia's invasion of the country two years ago. The spokesperson is based off Ukrainian singer and influencer Rosalie Nombre who agreed to participate pro bono. The AI spokesperson will be implemented alongside a human military of foreign affairs spokesperson.