President Vladimir Putin denies aggressive intentions, saying Moscow's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine was defence against NATO's own expansionist ambitions against Russia

Ukrainian long-range drones have reportedly struck an industrial plant deep inside Russia, approximately 1,300 kilometres (800 miles) from the border, while Kyiv’s forces continue to fight an intense battle to repel a Russian advance on the strategic city of Pokrovsk in eastern Donetsk.

A senior Kremlin official has publicly warned that Russia is close to internal collapse. According to the Ukrainian outlet Dialog.ua, Alexander Kharichev, who heads the department for monitoring and analysing public processes within the Presidential Administration, said the country faces serious internal threats that could lead to civil conflict.

Alexei Zhuravlev also said Russia isn't restricted from sending offensive weapons, such as the Oreshnik ballistic missile, to Venezuela.

Russia has previously provided Venezuela with Buks and S-300VMs. It has also received 21 Su-30MK2 Flanker fighters that are capable of air defense missions, but they can also sling supersonic anti-ship missiles, as well as flying other types of missions.

Russia and Ukraine have traded almost daily assaults on each other’s energy infrastructure as U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to stop the nearly four-year war make no impact on the battlefield.

Russia announced "next-generation" weapons in 2018, including the Poseidon torpedo, which can be fired by the new "Khabarovsk."

The curtains were drawn, the chairs were set and a projector was lowered. More than 30 people gathered in the crowded room and a video started to play. It told a story Moscow has recounted for years: about the “return” of Crimea to Russia in 2014,

Ukrainian long-range drones attacked an industrial plant around 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) inside Russia, local officials said Tuesday, while Ukraine’s army remained locked in an intense battle to hold back a Russian push on the key city of Pokrovsk in the eastern Donetsk region.

By Sarah Marsh BERLIN (Reuters) -Two lawmakers from the far-right Alternative for Germany travel next week to Russia while under fire from opponents for the party's ties to the Kremlin and accusations - strongly denied - that it could be passing on sensitive military information.