Ukrainian forces fighting around Velyka Novosilka claim its Russian takeover will amount to nothing more than a flag-raising exercise

A new textbook for Russian students has introduced a chapter on the war in Ukraine. According to it, Vladimir Putin was "forced" to attack his neighbour. The author of the textbook is an advisor to the president of Russia.

Russia deployed troops to Syria in 2015 to support Assad regime's brutal crackdown against anti-government forces.

A delegation of Russian officials arrived in Damascus on Tuesday for the first such visit to Syria since the fall of former President Bashar Assad. Assad, an ally of Moscow, took refuge in Russia after his ouster in December in a lightning rebel offensive.

Russia’s deputy foreign minister and a special envoy arrived in Damascus. Theirs was the first such visit since President Bashar al-Assad fled the country, according to Russian state news.