MICHAEL KIMMAGE is Professor of History at the Catholic University of America. He is the author of Collisions: The Origins of the War in Ukraine and the New Global Instability.

The Kremlin has been left stunned after a former key ally has said it is planning to quit a Russian-backed military alliance. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is Russia 's version of NATO, whose members are mostly former Soviet states.

That included a Monday joint statement from Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal calling Trump’s threat of ramped-up economic penalties if Russia doesn’t cut a peace deal in next 50 days “a real executive hammer to drive the parties to the negotiating table.”

Russia’s approach is to ‘keep calm and carry on’ in the face of Trump’s threats over Ukraine war, experts say.

The candles cost around €6 and promise to fill a room with a unique fragrance in just 30 minutes. From "Aroma Putin Black Vanilla" to "Symbol of the Russian Empire", some are citing this olfactive merchandising as further proof of the cult of personality in Russia.

Russia launched 400 Shahed and decoy drones, as well as one ballistic missile, during the night, the Ukrainian air force said. The strikes targeted northeastern Kharkiv, which is Ukraine’s second-largest city, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine, Vinnytsia in the west and Odesa in the south.

President Donald Trump issues Russian President Vladimir Putin a 50-day deadline to end Ukraine war or face 100% tariffs, prompting skepticism from the EU's chief diplomat and Kyiv's mayor over 50-day timeframe.

In 2024, births in Russia fell to 1.22 million — the lowest level since 1999 — while deaths increased by 3.3% annually, to 1.82 million.

The continuing labour shortage has pushed up wages and increased inflation, which hit 9.9% earlier this year amid Western economic sanctions.