Most major military operations are shrouded in secrecy. Ukraine's planned offensive against Russia has been under public debate for months. This has created expectations. Some realistic, some not.
The Chinese leader's call comes as he has sought to play the role of peacemaker, though chances of a big breakthrough are slim, given how far apart Russia's and Ukraine's positions remain.
They used to be called Kremlinologists — American experts on the Soviet Union. Now there's a new generation of Putinologists who seek to interpret Russia by analyzing its authoritarian leader.
The largest Russian Orthodox cemetery outside Russia is in a suburb of Paris. This normally tranquil place has become a battleground between Russia and the West.
The Kremlin dismissed the idea of talks with President Biden to end the war in Ukraine and said its assault on Ukrainian infrastructure was an "inevitable" response to Kyiv's attacks.
Invasion author Luke Harding began reporting from Ukraine in December 2021 and was in Kyiv the night before the Russian invasion began. "There is no mood inside Ukrainian society to yield," he says.
The move signals Russia's growing frustration over Ukrainian advances in areas the Kremlin claimed to annex. It came hours after Kremlin-appointed officials ordered civilians to evacuate Kherson.
The Russian leader has already lost several big bets in Ukraine. He may be taking his largest risk yet by mobilizing more troops and pushing ahead with plans to annex Ukrainian territory.
The Russian propagandist and daughter of Alexander Dugin was killed in a car bombing in Moscow last week. What could this mean for other political elites in Russia?
The Russian president blamed the U.S. for fostering crises in global relations, food security, inflation and trade. He also said he had no objection to Ukraine's bid to join the European Union.
The action takes place just days after the United States announced new sanctions and penalties on Russian oligarchs and elites, Kremlin officials, businessmen linked to President Vladimir Putin.
