Russian Rebels

A senior Houthi official has promised safe passage for Russian and Chinese vessels through the Red Sea, where the Iran-backed Yemeni rebel group has been carrying out attacks on commercial ships in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

"Russian warplanes carried out air strikes on the western outskirts of Idlib city, targeting a military base belonging to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)... killing at least eight fighters," said the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Wagner mercenaries headed back to their base on Sunday after Russia's President Vladimir Putin agreed to allow their leader to avoid treason charges and accept exile in neighbouring Belarus.

Russian Wagner mercenaries were "moving across" the Lipetsk region some 400 kilometres (250 miles) south of Moscow, the governor said Saturday, en route to Moscow after vowing to overthrow Russia's military leadership.

Russian military helicopters opened fire on Saturday afternoon on a convoy of rebel mercenaries already more than halfway towards Moscow in a lightning advance after seizing a southern city overnight.

The head of the Wagner mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin Saturday said Russian President Vladimir Putin was "deeply mistaken" in calling rebelling Wagner fighters "traitors" and ruled out surrender.

Rebellious Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin today claimed that he has taken control of the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don as part of an attempt to oust the military leadership amid what the authorities said was an armed mutiny.

Russian troops and pro-Moscow rebels have linked up in a key region along the Azov Sea coast in eastern Ukraine, a defence ministry spokesman said Tuesday, on the sixth day of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Rebel leaders in eastern Ukraine have asked Moscow for military help against Kyiv, the Kremlin announced late Wednesday, in a move that opens the door for massed Russian troops to move in.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Russia's move to recognize two eastern Ukrainian separatist regions as independent Monday as a "violation" of Kyiv's sovereignty.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will recognise the independence of eastern Ukraine's separatist republics, the Kremlin said in a statement Monday, adding that he had informed the French and German leaders of his decision.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday he would decide by the end of the day whether to recognise two rebel regions of Ukraine as independent, a move that could set off a potentially catastrophic conflict with Kyiv's Western-backed government.

Ukraine's army on Saturday reported the first death of a soldier in weeks and accused Moscow-backed rebels of sharply escalating attacks that have redoubled fears of an imminent Russian invasion.

Ukraine's armed forces and Moscow-backed rebels on Saturday accused each other of serious ceasefire breaches that have intensified fears of a Russian invasion of its western neighbour.

Investigators looking into the downing of flight MH17 over Ukraine released intercepted phone calls on Thursday showing close links between "high-ranking" Russian officials and rebel suspects facing trial over the crash.

A senior Houthi official has promised safe passage for Russian and Chinese vessels through the Red Sea, where the Iran-backed Yemeni rebel group has been carrying out attacks on commercial ships in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

"Russian warplanes carried out air strikes on the western outskirts of Idlib city, targeting a military base belonging to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)... killing at least eight fighters," said the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Wagner mercenaries headed back to their base on Sunday after Russia's President Vladimir Putin agreed to allow their leader to avoid treason charges and accept exile in neighbouring Belarus.

Russian Wagner mercenaries were "moving across" the Lipetsk region some 400 kilometres (250 miles) south of Moscow, the governor said Saturday, en route to Moscow after vowing to overthrow Russia's military leadership.

Russian military helicopters opened fire on Saturday afternoon on a convoy of rebel mercenaries already more than halfway towards Moscow in a lightning advance after seizing a southern city overnight.

The head of the Wagner mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin Saturday said Russian President Vladimir Putin was "deeply mistaken" in calling rebelling Wagner fighters "traitors" and ruled out surrender.

Rebellious Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin today claimed that he has taken control of the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don as part of an attempt to oust the military leadership amid what the authorities said was an armed mutiny.

Russian troops and pro-Moscow rebels have linked up in a key region along the Azov Sea coast in eastern Ukraine, a defence ministry spokesman said Tuesday, on the sixth day of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Rebel leaders in eastern Ukraine have asked Moscow for military help against Kyiv, the Kremlin announced late Wednesday, in a move that opens the door for massed Russian troops to move in.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Russia's move to recognize two eastern Ukrainian separatist regions as independent Monday as a "violation" of Kyiv's sovereignty.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will recognise the independence of eastern Ukraine's separatist republics, the Kremlin said in a statement Monday, adding that he had informed the French and German leaders of his decision.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday he would decide by the end of the day whether to recognise two rebel regions of Ukraine as independent, a move that could set off a potentially catastrophic conflict with Kyiv's Western-backed government.

Ukraine's army on Saturday reported the first death of a soldier in weeks and accused Moscow-backed rebels of sharply escalating attacks that have redoubled fears of an imminent Russian invasion.

Ukraine's armed forces and Moscow-backed rebels on Saturday accused each other of serious ceasefire breaches that have intensified fears of a Russian invasion of its western neighbour.

Investigators looking into the downing of flight MH17 over Ukraine released intercepted phone calls on Thursday showing close links between "high-ranking" Russian officials and rebel suspects facing trial over the crash.