North Korea is gaining crucial military experience and equipment by sending troops to Russia, a U.S. official warned the United Nations, making the regime a growing threat to neighboring countries.

Behrouz Esbati said he partially blamed Russia for the fall of Assad's government, in a rare break from Iran's official line on Syria.

Ukrainian transit gas deal to Europe ended on Jan. 1. For now, the most acute effects are being felt in a region called Transnistria, on the eastern edge of Moldova.

Russia said on Monday its forces had made important gains in eastern Ukraine while continuing to fend off a new Ukrainian offensive inside the Kursk region of western Russia, where a second day of fierce fighting was under way.

Peter Magyar, the opposition challenger to Prime Minister Viktor Orban, told Reuters he would keep Hungary firmly anchored in the European Union and NATO if he wins elections due in early 2026 and would strive for "pragmatic relations" with Russia.

Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev is demanding answers, saying Vladimir Putin's latest apology "isn't enough" and that Moscow must take responsibility.

Russia's only known submarine in the Mediterranean Sea, the Kilo-class Novorossiysk, was spotted leaving the region last week.

Russia’s own data show its crude production in December fell below its OPEC+ target, according to people familiar with figures from the country’s Energy Ministry.

Russia may be close to sharing advanced satellite technology with North Korea after the isolated nation supplied troops to help bolster Moscow’s war in Ukraine, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Monday.

The patriarch of Russia's Orthodox Church, celebrating Christmas alongside Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, said on Tuesday that the Western world despised Russia and its "alternative path of civilised development".

Russia said on Monday its forces had made important gains in eastern Ukraine while continuing to fend off a new Ukrainian offensive inside the Kursk region of western Russia, where a second day of fierce fighting was under way.