One Tuesday morning last month, a 15-year-old Russian boy got ready for school by packing a paramilitary vest, a helmet, and a knife. Before leaving his house, he sent a manifesto to his classmates denouncing gay people and Jews, and quoting a mass murderer along with a white-supremacist conspiracy theory.

The prospect of another ally falling in the Middle East will be a worrying one for Moscow, particularly after it has seen other alliances collapse recently.

Former Putin adviser Sergey Karaganov warned that Russia would use nuclear weapons against Europe should it ever come close to defeat.

China has stopped imports of electric power supplies from Russia, Kommersant newspaper reported on Friday, citing sources familiar with the situation and high prices, while Russia said it was ready to resume sales and talks were taking place.

Four years after David Barnes was charged in Russia with abusing his children in Texas despite not being charged with a crime in the U.S., he is now in a penal colony.

The United States accused Russia of "dangerous and inexplicable escalation" after new attacks on Ukraine's energy and civilian infrastructure.

"Between January 4 and January 12, 2026, nine newborns died at Novokuznetsk Maternity Hospital No. 1 as a consequence of the suspects performing their official and professional medical duties in a substandard way," Russia's Investigative Committee said in a statement.

A terrifying scene unfolded at Russia’s Mount Elbrus as a huge avalanche raced towards onlookers.