Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that expanding nuclear power is one of Russia’s top priorities. He made the remarks in a video message following the expiration of the nuclear treaty with the United States. Putin said that developing nuclear capabilities would ensure Russia’s security. According to his message, strengthening nuclear power will enhance strategic deterrence and maintain the global balance of power.

In his address, Putin also pledged to strengthen Russia’s army and navy. He said that all branches of the armed forces would be improved, including their combat readiness and ability to operate under the most difficult conditions. The statement came after the New START treaty between Russia and the United States expired earlier this month without renewal.

Russia has said it will adopt a responsible approach toward its strategic nuclear capabilities, even as it prioritizes the development of its defense forces.

Nearly four years after President Vladimir Putin announced Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the conflict—officially termed a “special military operation”—has deeply altered Russian society. Verified data from the BBC and MediaZona show more than 186,000 Russian combat deaths, far exceeding Soviet losses in Afghanistan. While western border regions like Kursk and Belgorod endure shelling and drone attacks, major cities such as Moscow and St Petersburg remain largely insulated, with sanctions causing inconvenience rather than collapse.

Interviews conducted by Al Jazeera reveal a divided nation. Some Russians, like photographer Kirill from St Petersburg, lament Western sanctions and government censorship that blocks social media and punishes “fake news.” Others, such as Vladislav from Saratov, have come to support the war, citing patriotic motives. Meanwhile, soldiers like Alexander Medvedev, after witnessing combat in Ukraine, have deserted and fled abroad, disillusioned by the war’s toll. Millions have emigrated since 2022, though some have returned due to difficulties abroad.

Despite economic adaptation and official claims of public support, many citizens remain apathetic or fearful of expressing dissent. The war’s continuation has entrenched censorship, reshaped daily life, and deepened both loyalty and fatigue across Russian society.

Eight Chinese tourists were killed when a tour bus sank after breaking through the ice on Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia. The regional branch of Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed the incident, which occurred on Friday, February 20. According to Igor Kobzev, one Chinese tourist managed to escape from the bus and survive. The victims included seven Chinese tourists and the bus driver. The Chinese Consulate General has been informed of the tragedy.

Officials said the bus fell into a three-meter-wide crack in the ice and sank into the lake. Rescue teams later used underwater cameras to recover seven bodies. The regional prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation into the incident.

Lake Baikal, known as the world’s deepest freshwater lake, is a major tourist destination in Siberia, especially popular among Chinese visitors. Authorities maintain designated ice roads during winter, allowing specific vehicles to cross under supervision, while driving outside approved routes is officially prohibited. The number of Chinese tourists visiting the lake has increased in recent years due to a visa-free travel arrangement between Moscow and Beijing.

Ukraine on Saturday claimed it carried out a strike on a key Russian ballistic missile manufacturing facility located in Votkinsk, a city in Russia’s remote Udmurtia region. The Ukrainian General Staff said the attack targeted a military installation involved in producing strategic missiles. According to Ukrainian military sources, the plant manufactured short-range Iskander and intercontinental Topol-M missiles, and the strike demonstrated Ukraine’s ability to reach targets about 1,400 kilometers from its border.

In a statement on Telegram, Ukrainian forces said they used domestically produced, ground-launched Flamingo cruise missiles in the attack, which caused a fire and significant operational damage inside the facility. However, no specific details on casualties or the extent of damage were released. Udmurtia’s governor, Aleksandr Brechalov, confirmed a nighttime drone attack in the region, reporting some damage and injuries but did not specify the target.

Following the incident, airports in Izhevsk and nearby cities were temporarily closed as a security measure. The strike comes amid ongoing Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which have left many Ukrainians without power and heating during winter.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that Moscow will not accept the sanctions imposed against Cuba. He made the remarks during a meeting in Moscow with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla. Putin emphasized that Russia’s foreign ministry has clearly and unequivocally expressed its position on the new sanctions, stressing that Russia will not tolerate such measures.

Putin described relations between Russia and Cuba as positive and special, noting that Moscow has always supported Havana in its struggle to preserve independence and sovereignty. He acknowledged the hardships faced by the Cuban people over decades in defending their right to live by their own rules and protect national interests.

The statement comes as the United States has strengthened energy sanctions on Cuba, leading to severe fuel shortages after supplies from Mexico and Venezuela were halted. In response, the Russian embassy in Havana announced that Russia will soon send oil and petroleum products to Cuba as humanitarian aid, a move expected to deepen bilateral ties and influence international politics.

Ukraine launched a drone attack on Russia’s Taman port along the Black Sea coast, causing extensive damage to the facility. The port, a key hub for Russia’s grain and fuel exports, was hit late at night by multiple drones, triggering a massive fire and thick black smoke over the area. According to reports, the attack left two people injured and forced a temporary shutdown of port operations.

Krasnodar Governor Veniamin Kondratyev stated on Telegram that the port’s oil storage systems, warehouses, and terminals were almost completely destroyed. Russian authorities said their defense systems managed to shoot down several drones, but some struck critical infrastructure directly. Firefighters worked for hours to bring the blaze under control.

Ukraine also carried out drone strikes on the nearby coastal city of Sochi and the village of Yurovka in Anapa on the same night, though no casualties or damage reports have yet emerged from those areas.

The United Kingdom has alleged that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was killed by poisoning, based on findings presented at a security conference in Berlin on Saturday. British representatives said they and their allies verified samples from Navalny’s body, concluding that a toxic substance was used. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that only the Russian government had the means to carry out such poisoning.

Navalny died two years ago while imprisoned in a Siberian facility. According to Russia’s state news agency TASS, Moscow dismissed the British claim as propaganda. Cooper said tests revealed the presence of epibatidine, a poison naturally found in certain South American frogs, and argued that it could not occur naturally in Russia or be produced by prisoners or domestic animals.

Cooper added that Russia viewed Navalny as a threat and that the use of such a rare toxin demonstrated the government’s fear of political opposition.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Russia has no plans to attack any part of Europe but is prepared to respond militarily if attacked. He made the remarks in an interview with broadcaster NTV, according to TASS. Lavrov emphasized that Russia has no reason to launch an assault on Europe but would deliver a full military response if European nations decided to act on threats of war against Russia.

In late December 2025, during his year-end press conference, President Vladimir Putin said Moscow is not at war with the West, though Western countries are fighting Russia through Ukraine. Putin reiterated that Russia never sought conflict with Europe but warned that if Europe initiated war, there should be no doubt about Russia’s readiness to retaliate immediately.

The statements from both Lavrov and Putin appear aimed at reinforcing Russia’s stance that it seeks no confrontation with Europe while signaling readiness to respond decisively to any aggression.

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev has warned that the world faces new risks if the New START nuclear arms control treaty is not renewed. Speaking from his residence outside Moscow, Medvedev told Reuters that for the first time since the early 1970s, the largest nuclear powers may have no limits on their arsenals. The treaty, signed in 2010 by then U.S. President Barack Obama and Medvedev, limited each side to 1,550 strategic nuclear weapons. It is set to expire on February 5, and Russian officials said Washington has not formally responded to President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to extend existing missile and warhead limits for another year.

Medvedev emphasized that arms control agreements have been vital not only for limiting weapons but also for maintaining trust and verification between major nuclear powers. He cautioned that the “doomsday clock is ticking” and urged timely action to prevent escalation. In January, U.S. President Donald Trump indicated he preferred the treaty to lapse, suggesting a better deal could follow.

The treaty’s future remains uncertain after Russia suspended its participation in 2023 due to U.S. support for Ukraine, raising concerns about renewed nuclear competition.

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev stated that European nations have failed to defeat Russia in Ukraine. In an interview cited by TRT World, he said Europe’s attempt to weaken Russia has instead caused severe damage to its own economy. Medvedev remarked that Europe has surprised him by undermining the very foundations of its existence, calling the situation astonishing.

He added that European powers sought to impose a strategic defeat on Russia but achieved nothing in that effort. During the same interview, Medvedev praised U.S. President Donald Trump as a leader who seeks peace. When asked whether Trump is positive or negative for Russia, Medvedev responded that the American people chose him and that Moscow respects that decision.

The comments reflect Russia’s continued criticism of Western policies toward the Ukraine conflict and highlight Moscow’s view that European sanctions and strategies have backfired economically.

A training aircraft crashed in Russia’s Orenburg region on Monday, February 2, killing three people, according to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. The ministry said the aircraft, a Diamond DA model operated by Saint Petersburg State University of Civil Aviation, went down near the city of Orsk during a training flight. The victims included one instructor and two cadets, all of whom died at the scene.

The ministry’s statement added that the crash occurred in the village of Zhanatalap, near Orsk. When emergency rescuers arrived, there was no fire, but all three occupants had already died. The ministry did not provide any information regarding the possible cause of the accident.

According to the Orenburg governor and the regional government’s press service, local authorities will provide assistance to the families of the deceased.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in Moscow on Friday, according to the Kremlin. The meeting took place as tensions between Iran and the United States continue to escalate. The Kremlin confirmed that Putin welcomed Larijani, while Iran’s embassy in Moscow stated that the two discussed bilateral economic relations and key regional and international issues, though no further details were disclosed.

Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti reported that the visit had not been announced in advance and that Moscow has offered to mediate between Washington and Tehran. The meeting comes amid heightened friction between the US and Iran, with US President Donald Trump recently announcing that a “massive armada” was moving toward Iran and urging Tehran to return to negotiations.

The undisclosed details of the discussions suggest that Moscow may be seeking a diplomatic role in easing regional tensions, though the immediate outcomes of the meeting remain unclear.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday. The Kremlin considers the meeting significant as it seeks to secure the future of its military bases in Syria. The discussion will cover bilateral relations, cooperation in various sectors, and the current situation in the Middle East.

The meeting comes amid ongoing tension over the fate of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and his wife, who remain under Russian protection. Shara has repeatedly pressed Moscow to extradite them. The issue has become sensitive since Assad’s ouster in 2024, which weakened Russia’s influence in the region. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that all matters related to Russian troop presence in Syria would be discussed but declined to comment on Assad.

Analysts cited in the report believe the talks could shape Russia’s position in Syria and define its relationship with the new Syrian leadership, especially as Moscow recently withdrew forces from the Kurdish-held Qamishli airport, leaving only its Hmeimim and Tartus bases on the Mediterranean coast.

A United States delegation led by special envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss President Donald Trump’s draft plan aimed at ending the Ukraine war. According to a Kremlin statement released on Friday, the meeting lasted more than three hours. The delegation included Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and White House adviser Josh Gruenbaum.

Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov described the talks as realistic and constructive, noting that discussions covered not only Ukraine but also the peace board, the Greenland issue, and bilateral relations. Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the draft plan was nearly finalized and that he had reached an understanding with Trump on post-war security guarantees.

Russia currently controls about 20 percent of Ukrainian territory and demands full control of the eastern Donbas region. Kyiv has warned that no peace deal can involve surrendering territory, arguing that such concessions would only encourage further Russian aggression.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the ownership dispute between the United States and Denmark over Greenland is not a matter of concern for Russia. Speaking at a meeting of Russia’s Security Council, he stated that the issue should be resolved bilaterally between the two nations. Referring to historical land transfers, Putin estimated Greenland’s potential sale value at around $1 billion.

Putin criticized Denmark’s historical governance of Greenland, describing it as colonial and harsh toward local residents. He also noted that Russia would not object to US pressure regarding Greenland, citing past examples of territorial sales such as Russia’s sale of Alaska to the US in 1867 and Denmark’s sale of the Virgin Islands in 1917. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump’s interest in acquiring Greenland has strained transatlantic relations, though he ruled out tariffs or military action during a speech in Davos.

Residents of Greenland reportedly welcomed Trump’s assurance against military use, while Russia remains displeased with Denmark’s military and financial support for Ukraine since 2022. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov added that Greenland is not naturally or historically an inseparable part of Denmark.