As State Duma elections near, Putin claims West seeks to politically destabilize Russia

Zelesky Says Fight Continuing In Key Town That Kremlin Says It Seized

Moscow earlier this week announced it had taken the key eastern town of Kostyantynivka but Kyiv has denied that as a lie, saying that it is defending the town.

Russia touts ‘war with NATO’ amid losses in Ukraine

As Russia faces challenges on the frontlines and at home, President Putin's backers decry Kyiv's Western allies.

As war reaches home, Russia's carefully managed elections face a reality check

In Russia, where elections offer little real uncertainty, the Kremlin still stages the ritual of competition — a carefully managed exercise designed not to choose leaders but to reinforce President Vladimir Putin's claim to legitimacy.With the upcoming parliamentary elections set for Sept. 20, the first since the

Putin Says Russia Rejects Western Attempts to Influence Sovereign Nations

Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken out against what he described as Western attempts to interfere in the affairs of sovereign nations, arguing that Moscow rejects the principles underlying the so-called rules-based international order. Putin's message was delivered to participants of the Primakov Readings international forum and was read aloud by presidential aide Yuri Ushakov. According to the Russian leader, many countries increasingly question a global system that, in his view, allows powerful states to exert pressure on others and influence their political decisions.

Putin Is Slipping Into Delusion

When things get dicey in Moscow, Vladimir Putin tends to drop out of sight for a while, retreating to one of his residences and canceling public events. Only his closest aides know how he spends his time during these absences, which can go on for days even in the middle of a national crisis. The Kremlin does its best to fill the vacant airtime on state TV with pretaped footage of the president, waiting for him to reemerge and declare that everything remains under his control.