Jason Isaacs compares ‘The Death Of Stalin’ to Vladimir Putin’s press conferences

Vladimir Putin met with a European leader for the first time since he launched an invasion of Ukraine and issued a chilling rebuke of Western criticism of his regime's war crimes. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer met with President Putin in Moscow last week, however the Chancellor told NBC News that “it was not a friendly conversation”.Chancellor Nehammer had visited Bucha in Ukraine, the site of a disturbing massacre after a Russian retreat where more than 350 bodies were found, some of which showed evidence of torture under Russian occupation.Days later, he travelled to Russia where he wanted "to confront President Putin" about what he saw in Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin's forces before being paraded on Russian TV. Ex-British Army soldier Shaun Pinner, 48, was serving as a 'contract soldier' with Ukrainian forces in Russian-occupied Mariupol as the area has been decimated by shelling.He claims to have been there for five to six weeks before appearing on the broadcast with no visible wounds, giving information about his service.He told the journalist Andrey Rudenko on the military TV channel: "I am Shaun Pinner.

Ukraine could have been the key to helping defeat Vladimir Putin's prize Moskva. Admiral Lord Alan West, a Falklands War hero, made the claims after Russian authorities admitted the vessel had been sunk on the Black Sea.According to reports, Ukraine claims to have hit the vessel with a cruise missile after using drones to distract the 12,490-tonne warships defences.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has banned Boris Johnson from ever entering Russia. The UK prime minister and members of his Cabinet are on a list of people sanctioned by the Kremlin over 'hostile actions of the British government'.

Boris Johnson from entering Russia in response to the UK government's Ukraine war sanctions. Boris Johnson tops the Russian "stop" list of UK subjects no longer allowed to enter the Russian Federation, alongside Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss and others.Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement: "In connection with the unprecedented hostile actions of the British government, expressed, in particular, in the imposition of sanctions against top officials of the Russian Federation, a decision was made to include key members of the British government and a number of political figures in the Russian 'stop list'."Also in Vlad's bad books is Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and former Prime Minister Theresa May, who authorised sanctions after the Salisbury poison incident in 2018.Dominic Raab, Priti Patel and Ben Wallace are also listed on the no-fly list as Putin seeks to exercise his authority.

Ukrainian officials have claimed.First Rank Captain Anton Kuprin, 44, was reportedly killed after the ship was fatally holed by Ukrainian Neptune missiles, according to Kyiv sources.The Moskva was one of Vladimir Putin's largest ships and had already been used to devastating effect in the conflict, most notably at Snake Island.After asking the defenders of the island to surrender, the Moskva's captain was told to "go f*** himself" by the brave soldiers.Kuprin gave the order to bombard Snake Island on the first day of the war.He “died during an explosion and fire on board the former flagship of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation,” said Anton Gerashenko, advisor to the Kyiv interior ministry.The official added: “We do not mourn.”Other sources support the claim that Captain Kuprin was killed.Russia has claimed that the crew was evacuated but there are increasing fears for lost lives on the battleship.A “farewell ceremony” to the cruiser is due to be held in Sevastopol today at a monument in honour of the 300th anniversary of the Russian fleet.There was no immediate confirmation from Moscow on Kuprin, but Russia has failed to announce many prominent military deaths in the 51-day war.For more shocking stories from the Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.Exiled Russian politician Ilya Ponomarev, 46, who eight years ago was the only MP to vote against Vladimir Putin ’s annexation of Crimea, said today he believes only 58 out of a usual crew number of 510 survived the Moskva disaster.There are also reports that Vice Admiral Igor Osipov, commander of the Black Sea Fleet, has been detained over the loss of the flagship.It comes following fears that the Moskva ship may have had nuclear cruise

Russian military have attacked Kyiv with an air assault and promised more missile assaults following the sinking of one of their top ships in the Black Sea.

Steven Seagal. The martial arts star isn’t exactly a ubiquitous presence on the late-night talk show circuit. The action hits of his heyday don’t festoon the banners at the top of Netflix.

Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine invasion has halted the hunt for aliens. The European Space Agency has ended cooperation with Russia on a series of missions that could unearth extraterrestrial life.

troops are currently in Estonia and are prepared to face down the Russian army.The soldiers are there as part of the NATO battle group deployed to protect the Baltic country in case of a Russian invasion.Lieutenant Colonel Ru Streatfeild, who commands the NATO battle group, said his troops are "100%" ready if Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of Estonia, adding “our soldiers are immensely proud to be here”.But it is an “immense responsibility”, he said, adding that he knows his battle plan in the event of a Russian attack.Estonian officials told the Daily Express they “must assume” Vladimir Putin will one day invade their country.Asked if NATO forces were prepared in the event of a Russian invasion, Lt Col Streatfeild said: “100%. There is swagger. They are on their game and they are ready.

A Russian defence minister has suffered a huge heart attack which was not the result of natural causes, a prominent Russian oligarch claims.

Latest reports from Ukraine suggest that yet another high-ranking Russian army officer has been killed as Vladimir Putin’s invasion reaches its 50th day. Lieutenant Colonel Denis Mezhuev, commander of the 1st Guards Motor Rifle Sevastopol Red Banner regiment, is the 40th Russian commander to die in Ukraine, in a war that has taken a particularly high toll on the Russian officer class.

Vladimir Putin "through thick and thin" after flying to Moscow to celebrate his 70th birthday. The Under Siege star, a well-known friend of the Russian leader, attended a lavish party in Moscow to celebrate his birthday on Sunday, April 10.

violating Ukraine’s sovereignty, Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced ambitious plans to reach new territory.Speaking on Tuesday (April 12), Putin stressed that the Russian Space Agency would need to “successfully stand up to the challenges of space exploration.”To do this, he claimed they would develop a “next-generation spaceship” as well as new nuclear space technology.He also said they would be sending an unmanned spacecraft to the moon later this year in what would be a long-awaited return to the rock. The Luna 25 launch date had initially been planned for 2016, but was pushed back to 2018 and then 2021.Putin's ambitious plans come just weeks after Russia announced it would pull out of the International Space Station, ending 23 years of international co-operation in space.Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin announced that a timetable for completion of the ISS project will soon be submitted to the Russia’s leadership.It was thought the move was prompted by international sanctions over the war in Ukraine, and is a major blow for the future of space exploration.

Vladimir Putin only named one Russian player when picking out his three favourite football players of all time back in 2018.The Russian president revealed his three favourite footballers of all time whilst speaking to the media ahead of a trip to China before the 2018 World Cup in Russia. However, there was only space for one Russian in his top three, which also included World Cup winners and football icons Diego Maradona and Pele.According to Russian outlet Tass, Putin chose legendary former Soviet Union and Dynamo Moscow goalkeeper Lev Yashin as the third and final player in his top three favourites.Yashin, who was nicknamed the 'Black Spider', is regarded by many as the greatest goalkeeper in the history of football and is the only keeper to have ever won the Ballon d'Or.He spent his entire 20-year playing career with Dynamo Moscow, winning five Soviet league titles and three Soviet Cups during this period.For his country, he was part of a side which won the maiden Euros in France in 1960 as well as an Olympic gold medal at the 1956 games in Melbourne, Australia.Is Lev Yashin the greatest goalkeeper of all time? Let us know in the comments section below.In addition to his 1963 Ballon d'Or win, he was also named the European goalkeeper of the year on nine separate occasions during his 20 seasons as a professional.As well as naming Pele, Maradona and Yashin as his three favourite footballers of all-time, Putin also explained his dedication to sport, claiming: "I dedicate about two to two and a half hours to sports every day.”He is said to enjoy the gym, swimming and judo when it comes to his daily exercise, but also has a fondness for ice hockey, adding: "I also play hockey though not so often as I would like to.

Vladimir Putin's face on a phallic-shaped plaster cast has sent the internet into a frenzy. In a photo posted on social media site Reddit, the Russian's President's appears to be depicted on a penis-shaped plaster cast hanging from a pole at a checkpoint on the way to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.User "beholdchris" captioned the post – which has got nearly 2,000 upvotes and over 60 comments – by writing: "At the checkpoint on the way to Kyiv…"Fellow Redditors were in hysterics with the discovery, with one commenting: "Someone did a great job of a plaster cast.

Vladimir Putin replacement as Russian President will likely be even more of a threat to the West, a professor has claimed. Following Russia ’s invasion of Ukraine well over a month ago, there has been constant speculation surrounding the health of the country’s leader.

The Foreign Secretary has vowed to hold Vladimir Putin "and his regime to account" if it is proven Russian forces used chemical agents in an attack on Mariupol.

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin on a date is on sale on eBay for around an eye-watering £3,843.The rare sticker card, from 2017's Topps Trading Cards, was produced in a limited run by the company, who created the set to parody for United States President Donald Trump during his time in office.They were produced on-demand, never as a full set.The one on eBay, which says there are more than 10 of available, shows Russian president Putin and Trump enjoying a meal together with love hearts around the pair. They're looking longingly into each others eyes, while a note saying “From Russia With Love!” is seen on the table in front of them.

Russia's despotic president Vladimir Putin's ally has been revealed. Viktor Medvedchuk, who fled house arrest in Ukraine when the invasion of the country kicked off in February, was thought to be one of the the closest allies to Putin.Putin is the godfather of Medvedchuk's daughter Darya.Medvedchuck was the leader of Ukraine's most prominent Kremlin-loving political party – called Platform-For-Life - and was estimated to be worth around £600million by Forbes last year.He had previously tried to mediate between the two warring countries, but when current Ukraine President Volodymr Zelenskyy came to power in 2019, that role was stopped, and in February last year, a decree was signed accusing Medvedchuck of “financing terrorism”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is known for flashing about his huge weapons of mass destruction and experts have been predicting he will unleash them since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war. It was only last month when experts claimed Putin "wants to use" his nuclear weapons and may detonate one of them near the UK.This deadly threat is made all the more sinister when the 69-year-old made it clear that he believes no one would win if nuclear war broke out.Speaking in the US documentary The Putin Interviews released in 2017, the Russian president told US film director Oliver Stone: "I don’t think anyone would survive such a conflict."There is always hope.