Ukraine-Russia war latest: Russia sends nuclear warning to Trump as ‘North Korean soldier dies in Ukraine’
South Korea, Ukraine and the US previously accused Pyongyang of sending thousands of soldiers to help Russia
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Your support makes all the difference.Russia has warned it “rules out nothing” regarding nuclear testing in response to Donald Trump’s “radical” position on the issue during his first term as president.
Deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov, who oversees arms control, warned the United States that its nuclear arsenal is intended to “sober up” countries on the “brink of direct armed conflict” with Russia.
Mr Ryabkov told the Kommersant newspaper: “The international situation is extremely difficult at the moment, the American policy in its various aspects is extremely hostile to us today.
“So the optionality of our actions in the interests of ensuring security and the complex of possible measures and actions to realise this - and to send politically appropriate signals, in addition to what practitioners are considering - does not rule anything out.”
It comes as an injured North Korean soldier captured by Ukrainian forces died, Yonhap News Agency has reported, citing a statement from South Korea’s spy agency.
South Korea, Ukraine and the US previously accused Pyongyang of sending thousands of soldiers to help Russia fight off the Ukrainian invasion of the Kursk border region.
Russia claims it foiled several Ukrainian plots to kill senior officers with disguised bombs
Azerbaijan Airlines crash: was this another military shoot-down of a civil aircraft?
Russia plays down speculation over cause of Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Kazakhstan
Ukraine's military intelligence says North Korean troops suffer heavy battlefield losses
Russia claims Ukrainian assassination attempts foiled
Russia has claimed it has foiled a number of plots to assassinate high-ranking officers and their families in Moscow.
The country’s Federal Security Service claimed the plot involved using bombs disguised as power banks or document folders, and added that four Russian citizens allegedly involved in planning the attack had been detained.
It comes weeks after Ukraine’s intelligence service killed a top Russian officer outside his apartment building in Moscow by detonating a bomb attached to an electric scooter.
An SBU source confirmed to Reuters that the Ukrainian intelligence agency had been behind the hit.
latest pictures from Ukraine
Four sources say Azerbaijan Airlines flight was downed by Russian air defences
An Azerbaijan Airlines flight that crashed in Kazakhstan on Wednesday killing 38 people was downed by a Russian air defence system, four sources in Azerbaijan with knowledge of the investigation told Reuters.
One of the Azerbaijani sources familiar with the investigation into the crash told Reuters that preliminary results showed the plane was struck by a Russian Pantsir-S air defence system, and its communications were paralysed by electronic warfare systems on the approach into Grozny.
The source said: “No one claims that it was done on purpose. However, taking into account the established facts, Baku expects the Russian side to confess to the shooting down of the Azerbaijani aircraft.”
Russia: It’s up to Trump team to make first move to improve ties
Russia’s foreign minister has said that Moscow is willing to work with Donald Trump when he becomes US president in January, but that he must make the first move.
Sergei Lavrov told reporters in Moscow on Thursday: “If the signals that are coming from the new team in Washington to restore the dialogue that Washington interrupted after the start of a special military operation (war in Ukraine), are serious, of course, we will respond to them,”
“But the Americans broke (off) the dialogue, so they should make the first move.”
All four Moscow airports resume work, Russia's aviation watchdog says
Russia’s aviation watchdog has said that all four Moscow airports have now resumed work after the lifting of temporary restrictions that were introduced to ensure the safety of civil aircraft flights.
“Aircraft crews, air traffic controllers and airport services have taken all necessary measures to ensure flight safety - this is the main priority,” the statement from Rosaviatsia said.
Russia declares federal emergency over Black Sea oil spill
Russia has declared a federal emergency on Thursday over an oil spill caused by two Russian tankers in the Black Sea, the Emergencies Ministry said.
The tankers were hit by a storm on December 15, causing one split to in half and the other run aground.
The resulting spill has coated sandy beaches at and around Anapa, a popular resort, and caused serious problems for wildlife including seabirds, dolphins and porpoises.
More than 10,000 people have been trying to clear it up.
Russia plays down speculation over cause of Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Kazakhstan
Russia and Kazakhstan have tried to calm speculation about the cause of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash, following claims it had been shot down by Russian air defence systems.
On Thursday, Moscow urged calm as its foreign minister said it would be wrong to come to conclusions before an investigation into the crash was complete.
The flight had been set to travel to Grozny, the capital of Russia‘s Chechnya on Wednesday, but instead diverted and crash-landed a few kilometres short of Aktau airport in Kazakhstan.
Read the full story here:
Russia plays down speculation over cause of Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash
Russia plays down speculation over cause of Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash
Pope Francis calls for negotiations in Russia-Ukraine war for ‘lasting peace’ - ICYMI
In his Christmas Day address, Pope Francis called for a dialogue to end the Ukraine-Russia war and urged a ceasefire in Gaza, alongside appeals for peace in other conflict zones like Lebanon and Syria.
The Pope condemned the ongoing violence in Ukraine following a massive Russian missile and drone attack, reiterating his plea for a “just and lasting peace”. He also highlighted the humanitarian crises in Gaza, where hostages remain, and the plight of Christian minorities in Syria after rebels ousted President Bashar al-Assad.
His remarks on Israel’s “cruelty” in Gaza drew sharp criticism from Israel which called which called the comments “particularly disappointing”.
Watch: Emergency Services Arrive At Azerbaijan Airlines Plane Crash Wreckage Site
Putin’s Christmas Day attacks were designed to show ruthless force – but they may backfire
Half a million were left without heating and one person was killed as Russia launched more than 70 missiles at Kharkiv.
Yet 2025 will almost certainly be the year when the war ends – and it will not be the unmitigated disaster for Ukraine that seemed likely even a few months ago.
Read our Editoral here:
How Putin’s ‘ruthless’ Christmas Day attacks on Ukraine may backfire
Editorial: Half a million were left without heating and one person was killed as Russia launched more than 70 missiles at Kharkiv. Yet 2025 will almost certainly be the year when the war ends – and it will not be the unmitigated disaster for Ukraine that seemed likely even a few months ago
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