Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin is reportedly ready to stop its war against Ukraine if Ukraine recognizes current battle lines, according to Reuters.

During his California visit, President Joe Biden on Thursday met in San Francisco with Alexei Navalny's widow and daughter to express his condolences to them, less than a week after the Russian opposition leader was found dead in prison. 

Russians mourning Alexei Navalny's death were detained as they tried to lay flowers at memorials.

Alexei Navalny's team lost contact with him a week before his scheduled Dec 5 court appearance.

Putin has held power for nearly 24 years. His year-end news conference lasted over four hours.

Under constitutional reforms Vladimir Putin arranged, he is eligible to seek two more six-year terms after his current one expires next year, potentially allowing him to remain in power until 2036.

Two months ago, Prigozhin mounted a daylong mutiny against Russia's military. President Vladimir Putin decried the act as “treason” and vowed punishment for those involved.

An investigation team said they had insufficient evidence to launch new prosecutions and suspended their probe into the shooting down of the plane that killed all 298 people aboard in 2014. Russia has denied any involvement in the downing of the flight.

The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on Jan. 7.

“My hope is that now that the election is over, that Mr. Putin will be able to discuss with us and be willing to talk more seriously about a prisoner exchange,” Biden said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied having any intentions of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine but described the conflict there as part of alleged efforts by the West to secure its global domination.

A "dirty bomb" is a device that uses explosives to scatter nuclear waste.

Russia has suffered a series of setbacks nearly eight months after invading Ukraine in a campaign many thought would be short-lived.

Pope Francis uttered his strongest plea yet about the seven-month-old war in Ukraine, which he denounced as an “error and a horror.”

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow has issued another security alert for Americans in Russia, warning them to depart “immediately while limited commercial travel options remain.”