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US declassified records show Putin privately described Ukraine as an artificial state in talks with George W. Bush, signalling doubts about Ukrainian sovereignty years before the current war.

Russian court sentenced opposition activist Sergei Udaltsov to six years in prison for justifying terrorism, highlighting Russia's intensified crackdown on dissent following the invasion of Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin has used a new year-end speech to cast 2026 as a turning point for Russia's internal "unity" and economic modernisation, tying a patriotic decree to sweeping warnings about the disruptive power of artificial intelligence on jobs and education. He paired boasts about record-high employment with a call to completely overhaul how Russia trains and retrains its workforce, explicitly linking "technological restructuring" and AI to the future of the war-time economy and returning veterans. Watch for details

Zelensky's Christmas message comes just as Russia hit Ukraine with missiles and drones, killing at least three people, including a four-year-old child.

Sergei Sobyanin reported 25 Ukrainian drones intercepted near Moscow, with no casualties. Ukraine targeted the Yefremov plant in Tula and Crimea.

KYIV: President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine told reporters on Tuesday that he was ready to pull his troops back from areas of the eastern Donetsk re.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told staff at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers during a traditional Christmas greeting exchange that 2026 will be considerably more difficult than the year ending, reports Ansa."The end of 2025 has been difficult for all of us," Meloni said, adding: "Don't worry, because next year will be much worse. So rest properly during these holidays, because we must continue to give answers to this extraordinary nation." The comments came as government officials prepare for the final Cabinet meeting of the year, which will consider a long-awaited decree to extend authorisation for arms sales to Ukraine. The Northern League party is attempting to impose restrictions on the measure.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been briefed on U.S. proposals for a potential peace deal in Ukraine, the Kremlin confirmed, as Moscow prepares to formulate its official response. The development comes amid heightened military tensions following one of the deadliest pre-Christmas attacks of the war, involving more than 600 drones and 30 missiles launched toward Ukraine.

Moscow was rocked by another deadly explosion as two police officers and a civilian were killed while officers approached a suspicious individual near the site of a recent car bombing that claimed the life of a senior Russian general. The blast has heightened fears of an escalating campaign of targeted attacks linked to the ongoing Ukraine war. Russian investigators have opened murder and terrorism-related cases, while unofficial reports suggest the suspect detonated the device during the encounter. With tensions rising and a string of high-profile assassinations already shaking Russia's security establishment, questions are mounting over who is behind the attack and what comes next.

KYIV: Russian missile and drone attacks killed at least three Ukrainians, including a child, on Tuesday, triggering widespread emergency power cuts an.