One Tuesday morning last month, a 15-year-old Russian boy got ready for school by packing a paramilitary vest, a helmet, and a knife. Before leaving his house, he sent a manifesto to his classmates denouncing gay people and Jews, and quoting a mass murderer along with a white-supremacist conspiracy theory.

"Between January 4 and January 12, 2026, nine newborns died at Novokuznetsk Maternity Hospital No. 1 as a consequence of the suspects performing their official and professional medical duties in a substandard way," Russia's Investigative Committee said in a statement.

The United States is accusing Russia of a “dangerous and inexplicable escalation” of the nearly four-year war in Ukraine at a time when the Trump administration is trying to advance negotiations toward peace.

Former Putin adviser Sergey Karaganov warned that Russia would use nuclear weapons against Europe should it ever come close to defeat.

The United States accused Russia of "dangerous and inexplicable escalation" after new attacks on Ukraine's energy and civilian infrastructure.

The prospect of another ally falling in the Middle East will be a worrying one for Moscow, particularly after it has seen other alliances collapse recently.

For 45 days straight, Russian troops on the front line in eastern Ukraine were pinned back by machine gun fire.

A terrifying scene unfolded at Russia’s Mount Elbrus as a huge avalanche raced towards onlookers.