'Possible crimes against humanity' by Russian forces in Ukraine now under investigation

Vladimir Putin is known for his aggressive 'short-man syndrome' but Russia's leader has just got a whole lot smaller as a voodoo doll.The president has become the target of dark magic and creepy superstition in the form of a sea of seven inch figures each impaled with pins.In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a craftswoman from Florida, US is selling handmade Putin voodoo dolls for £23.89 so customers can "stick it to him" and prevent him causing more "chaos". Di Di who sells arts and crafts on Etsy under the name BadCherrybyDD, told the Daily Star that Putin is already proving popular with 150 dolls sold.

Two million Ukrainians have fled the country after it was invaded by Russia over a week ago, with civilians leaving behind their homes, unsure if they will return.

Caitriona Balfe was quite candid when she spoke out against Russian leader Vladimir Putin after it was reported his forces bombed a Ukranian maternity hospital during their ongoing invasion of the country. The Outlander actress took to her Twitter on Wednesday (March 9) to curse Putin. “Hitting maternity hospitals. F**k you Putin and anyone who refuses to condemn him in the strongest of language. #Mariupol #Ukraine️,” she wrote. 

Hayden Panettiere is stepping up.

Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, a UK artist managed to both raise money for war victims and dump on Vladimir Putin by selling a portrait of the Russian president made out of dog poop. “I did a portrait of Putin using dog s – – t,” Dominic Murphy told the Welwyn Hatfield Times of his odiferous opus, titled “Poo-tin’s a S – – t” on his site.

TikTok star Sam Ryder is reportedly being lined up to represent the UK at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.According to the The Mirror, BBC bosses are preparing to reveal the viral star as this year’s entrant with his recent single ‘Space Man’.Ryder found viral acclaim after he started posting covers and at-home karaoke tracks at the beginning of lockdown in March 2020. By the end of the year, he was crowned TikTok’s most popular artist account.With 7.7million followers and a range of famous fans including Justin Bieber and Alicia Keys, Ryder recently performed for an NME Home Sessions performance.It was announced last year that TaP Music – the global music publishing and management company behind the likes of Dua Lipa and Lana Del Rey – will collaborate with the BBC to choose a track and artist to represent the UK at the Song Contest.Meanwhile, Russia was recently banned from competing in this year’s Eurovision following backlash to an earlier statement from organisers saying the country would be allowed to compete despite launching a military assault on Ukraine.Ukraine officially severed diplomatic ties with Russia, and declared martial law, after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an attack on the neighbouring nation last month.Ukraine’s entrant, Alina Pash, will also no longer represent her home country at this year’s event, the competition also recently announced.

Vladimir Putin, stopped socialising when he was 11-years-old and set himself a serious goal, according to one of his former teachers.

Russia.Mazepin Sr has been added to the list after it emerged he met with Putin on 24 February - hours after Putin ordered the invasion."Mazepin, along with other 36 business people, met with President Putin and other members of the Russian government to discuss the impact of the course of action in the wake of Western sanctions," the EU said."The fact that he was invited to attend this meeting shows that he is a member of the closest circle of Vladimir Putin."And that he is supporting or implementing actions or policies which undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, as well as stability and security in Ukraine."Mazepin has also been added to the list of sanctions due to his racing career benefiting from his dad's money.The Russian was sacked by Haas after debuting in F1 last season, where he faced a difficult season.Mazepin failed to acquire only points during the first 21 races of the season - before he missed the season finale after testing positive for Covid.What do you think of the EU sanctioning Mazepin? Let us know in the comments sectionThe EU document continued: "Nikita Mazepin is the son of Dmitry Arkadievich Mazepin, General Director of JSC UCC Uralchem."As Uralchem sponsors Haas F1 Team, Dmitry Mazepin is the major sponsor of his son's activities at Haas F1 Team."He is a natural person associated with a leading businessperson (his father) involved in economic sectors providing a substantial source of revenue to the Government of the Russian Federation."Which is responsible for the annexation of Crimea and the destabilisation of Ukraine."

Russian military forces invaded the country under orders given by Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the early days, the world watched as the people of Ukraine lived with sirens and explosions, as the neighboring country's forces dissipated buildings around them.  In the weeks since the initial attack, almost two million people have packed up their lives, children, pets and anything they can to flee the now war-torn country.

Vladimir Putin may be preparing the ground for using chemical and biological warfare in Ukraine after his invasion faltered.

As soon as Russian forces, under the order of Russian President Vladimir Putin, began the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, stars and celebrities started their efforts to support the Ukrainian people under attack. A-listers like Ryan Reynolds, Mila Kunis, Dua Lipa, and more shared links to where fans could donate to the humanitarian efforts while pledging their own money to the cause.

Ukraine has warned that the Russian occupied Chernobyl Nuclear power plant could be just 48 hours away from leaking dangerous radiation. The war-torn country has begged Russia for a ceasefire so urgent repairs can be made to the site, which was claimed by Vladimir Putin's forces in the early days of the conflict.

As Putin's invasion of Ukraine continues on after more than two weeks, many companies and businesses around the world are backing out of Russia's economy.

Chelsea, with Roman Abramovich, the club’s owner for 19 years, putting the club on the market.The Russian oligarch set the precedent for all future takeovers, showing what huge investment can achieve in the sporting world.But the curtain is about to close on the 55-year-old’s time, as talks of sanctions from the UK Government are thought to be imposed on business people reportedly affiliated with President Vladimir Putin.The club is one sale for some £3billion - meaning even some of the wealthiest people in the country would need to merge together for it to stand a chance of a bid being accepted.Here we take a look at some of the men on the list so far - their quirks, and their current business ventures,Net worth: £4.2billionCurrently owns: Synthes, a medical device manufacturerSwiss Hansjorg Wyss, called "among the most philanthropic people in the world", is a huge voice in progressive movements, especially environmentally.The 86-year-old is thought to be in favour of higher inheritance taxes for the wealthy in Switzerland - very surprising for a billionaire. Wyss is also a keen hiker, skier and even pilot, with interests in conservation efforts in America.Who would you like to see buy Chelsea? Let us know in the comments section.Want to be on the ball with all of the latest football news?Well then sign up for the brilliant Daily Star football email newsletter!From the latest transfer news to the agenda-setting stories, get it all in your email inbox - don't miss a thing.It only takes a matter of seconds.Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article and hit 'subscribe'.And that's it, job done.

McDonald's and Starbucks have been accused of "double standards" after announcing they will be closing 800 restaurants in Russia while they remain open in Guantánamo Bay. Since Russian President Vladimir Putin's ordered troops into Ukraine, sporting leagues, blue tick companies and brands around the world have announced boycotts of the country.

Vladimir Putin, according to fresh reports.In 2009, the politician made an offer to buy a controlling interest in the NBA franchise, then known as the New Jersey Nets, with the sale approved the following year.His 80 per cent stake made him the majority owner of the team, and after overseeing the switch to Brooklyn, he also acquired a 45% interest in the team's new home venue, the Barclays Center.The purchase made Prokhorov, 56, the first ever non-North American team owner in the NBA, a fact that was met with contrasting opinions from opposing team owners at the time.During his tenure, the Nets reached the conference semi-finals in 2014, but some three years later he agreed to sell 49 per cent of his stake - valued at USD$1.2billion, to Joseph Tsai.In 2019, Prokhorov sold the remaining 51 per cent of the Nets to Tsa for a further USD$1.35bn, and also freed himself of the Barclays Center for USD$1bn, in the biggest transaction ever for a US sports team.And now a report in the New York Post has claimed that the sale was made not due to Prokhorov's desire to get out of the NBA, but because of pressure from Putin to relinquish his control."As tensions between the US and Russia over Crimea grew, Putin in 2016 also began pressuring Prokhorov to sell the Nets, according to sources," read the report."That’s because Putin, especially during times of political turmoil, will test the loyalty of oligarchs with assets in the West to show they won’t get too close to the US or Europe."Should Russian sports team owners now be subject to sanctions? Let us know in the comments section.A source was also quoted as saying: “Putin strongly suggested he sell the Nets."And if Prokhorov refused, he risked losing his considerable assets in

As NATO began to respond the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia's President Vladimir Putin warned anyone "who might be tempted to meddle in the ongoing events" would face "consequences you have never encountered in your history".

Leonardo DiCaprio has donated an impressive £7.6million ($10m) to fund for Ukraine, where his grandmother is from.The 47 year old Hollywood actor, who recently starred alongside EastEnders' Himesh Patel in Don't Look Up, was reportedly very close with his maternal grandmother Helene Indenbirken, who was born in Ukraine in 1915. He is said to have taken her to the premiers of many of his films and would call her 'Oma'.The Revenant actor's incredible donation was announced by the International Visegrad Fund, according to Polish News. Leonardo's grandmother was born in Odesa as Jelena Stepanovna Smirnova and migrated to Germany with her parents two years later in 1917.

Russia's leader has been barred from a British pub - and warned punters would 'wreck' him if he even tries to step foot in there.

Ukraine continues, fears of a nuclear World War Three have continued to grow, spurred on by Russian President Vladimir Putin's erratic mindset.The despot has previously warned of consequences "never before seen in your history" for any country that aids Ukraine and with rumours swirling around about his health it is unclear how volatile he may become.And according to Peter Berezin, a strategist at BCA Research, the chances of nuclear armageddon don't look good.In a slightly surreal memo, the financier looked into the likelihoods of a nuclear war in a letter titled: "Rising risk of a nuclear apocalypse."The memo stated that Vladimir Putin had now committed to a regime change in Kyiv and that anything else would be seen as a defeat. And in one disturbing passage, Mr Berezin surmised that in the event Putin is left with "no future" he may decide that "no one else should have a future either".He then goes on to state that with everything considered, there is now "an uncomfortably high 10% chance of a civilisation ending nuclear war over the next 12 months".It's not all bad news though as he did urge calm in one crucial aspect.

DAN Walker has been replaced on BBC Breakfast with no explanation - and viewers aren't best pleased about it. The presenter usually presents the show alongside his co-star Sally Nugent from Monday to Wednesday, before Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt take over for the rest of the week.