• Assad seeks sanctuary in Russia: a new addition to Moscow's 'collection' of exiled leaders

    Bashar al-Assad and his family have been granted asylum in Russia on "humanitarian grounds." While there are no official photos yet of Assad settling into his new surroundings, speculation is rife about what he might owe Vladimir Putin for this hospitality and who his new neighbors might be, Digi 24 reports.

    Columnist Mark Galeotti suggests that the discredited Syrian ruler will make his home in Barvikha, an upscale enclave for Russia's affluent near Moscow. Historically, this area housed …

  • Russian lawmaker proposes relocating Assad family to Mariupol to aid Donbas recovery

    In an interview with Russian outlet Gazeta.ru, Dmitry Kuznetsov, a member of Russia's State Duma and the International Affairs Committee, has proposed that Bashar al-Assad, the ousted Syrian president who fled to Russia following rebel capture of Syria's capital Damascus, could be relocated to occupied Mariupol

    Kuznetsov argued that the former Syrian leader, along with his family, should settle in Mariupol, where they could "take it under their wing." For his "contribution to the restoration …

  • Netherlands Court orders Russia to pay Ukraine’s Naftogaz $5 billion for Crimea asset seizure

    Russia has suffered a legal setback after its appeal against a compensation order in favor of Naftogaz was dismissed by the Supreme Court of the Netherlands. The court has ruled that Russia must pay $5 billion for seizing assets belonging to Naftogaz in Crimea, Naftogaz's press service announced on Friday, December 13.

    This decision marks the second time that Dutch courts have upheld the Partial Award issued by the arbitral tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. …

  • Slovakia's PM warns of potential Western betrayal of Ukraine, citing parallels to Munich Agreement

    Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico has expressed concern that the West might ultimately decide to abandon Ukraine, drawing parallels to the 1938 Munich Agreement. In an interview with Brazil's Folha de S.Paulo, Fico stated that the West could tire of the ongoing war in Ukraine and agree to its division. "I fear the moment when the West says, 'It didn't work out, so let's sacrifice Ukraine. Remember the 1938 Munich Agreement, where Czechoslovakia was sacrificed. I am very afraid of that," he …

  • Lukashenko confirms nuclear warhead presence in Belarus and plans for Russian 'Oreshnik' missiles deployment

    On December 10, self-proclaimed Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko made a striking claim that nuclear weapons have been deployed in Belarus, as reported by the state news agency "BELTA". "I brought nuclear warheads here. Not just a dozen," he assured.

    Lukashenko reprimanded skeptics dismissing Belarus' nuclear potential, citing that they completely "missed" the operation. "They didn't even notice how we brought them here," stated Lukashenko, acknowledging that using nuclear weapons is " …