Russia loses a third of the ground forces it sent to invade Ukraine, intelligence reveals

Vladimir Putin's bluff after suggesting over half of their nuclear missiles "do not work". The news comes after a fresh threat to the West this week, with the head of Russia's space agency claimed the country has 50 new nuclear missiles.Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Roscosmos and a close allay of the Russian president, said an array of Sarmat-2 missiles – measuring 14 storeys tall and weighing 208 tons – will be deployed by the autumn to remind the world of Russia's capabilities.But in March, three US officials with intelligence on Russian warheads claimed that around 60 percent of Moscow's missiles are in fact inoperative.Fears of a nuclear-armed conflict have been one of the main themes of the debate about how to deal with Russia after the Kremlin ordered its invasion of Ukraine back in early February.

Morgan Freeman is part of Russia’s permanently banned list, as it was revealed by the Eastern European country, in a list of 1,000 Americans that also includes President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.The Hollywood star was added to the list following his involvement in a promotional video for an organization called ‘The Committee to Investigate Russia’ where the actor said, “We have been attacked,” adding “We are at war.”Freeman was described on the list as “a well-known film actor who in September 2017 recorded a video message accusing Russia of conspiring against the United States and calling for a fight against our country,” stating that he accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of using “cyber warfare to attack democracies around the world,” and to his “sworn enemy, the United States.”The updated list includes former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, President’s son Hunter Biden, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, former White House press secretary Jen Psaki, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley.The country states that many of the people on the list “incite Russophobia,” emphasizing that “the hostile actions taken by Washington, which boomerang against the United States itself, will continue to receive a proper rebuff.”And while politicians, journalists and celebrities on the list have yet to share their thoughts after appearing on the list, former federal prosecutor Norman Barbosa declared, “at least I’m still in good company,” while US ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe wrote, “What an

Vladimir Putin’s closest allies has issued a bizarre vision of a "new world order" to the UN. Since Russian President Putin invaded Ukraine in February he’s been blacklisted by almost every major country, except a handful, such as Belarus.Now the country's president Alexander Lukashenko has sent a letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres to explain Putin’s sordid reasoning for violating Ukraine’s sovereignty.According to Belarussian TV, the letter, dated May 18, urged the UN to welcome in a "new world order" where all sovereign states have "security guarantees" and warned that the Ukraine conflict would have "devastating consequences" if not.Lukashenko repeated Putin’s threat that, unless “security guarantees” were forthcoming, the Ukraine war would become “protracted with devastating consequences”.He reportedly said: “Belarus calls on the countries of the world to unite and prevent the regional conflict in Europe from escalating into a full-scale world war.”He went on to stress that the US and NATO were violating Putin’s grand ‘new world order’ by sending weapons to Ukraine.He continued: “Together and each in our role, we can do a lot today: refrain from the supply of weapons.”“Today, the world, unfortunately, forgets that Belarusians have never been a threat to any of their neighbours.“We are not aggressors, as some states try to present us.

Premier League has approved the £4.25bn takeover of Chelsea by Todd Boehly's consortium.All of the west London club's prospective board members have now passed the requisite owners’ and directors’ test. However, the completion of the Blues' purchase must still be cleared by the UK government, which has to issue a sale license.The government wants to ensure that none of the proceeds will go to Abramovich, who was hit with sanctions after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine over his alleged links to Vladimir Putin, and to get guarantees regarding his £1.6bn loan to the club he owned since 2003.An official statement from the league read: "The Premier League Board has today approved the proposed takeover of Chelsea Football Club by the Todd Boehly/Clearlake Consortium."The purchase remains subject to the Government issuing the required sale licence and the satisfactory completion of the final stages of the transaction."The Board has applied the Premier League’s Owners’ and Directors’ Test (OADT) to all prospective Directors, and undertaken the necessary due diligence."The members of the Consortium purchasing the club are affiliates of the Clearlake Capital Group, L.P., Todd Boehly, Hansjorg Wyss and Mark Walter.

Vladimir Putin's attack on Ukraine by unanimously chanting ‘f*** the war’. Footage has emerged of the of the defiant scene which is thought to have taken place at a show for Russian band Kis-Kis on Friday night.Shortly after Russian troops moved in on Ukraine, Putin introduced new legislation targeting free speech.At least 2,000 people have been fined and 133 others are facing prison time for their supposed non-compliance.However, in spite of the legislation, this hasn't stopped the defiance as the events in St Petersburg came hot on the heels of Russian singer Yuri Shevchuk, from 1980s band DDT, charged with "discrediting" Putin’s military for sharing his opposition to the war at his show last week.

Rob Reiner is responding to the news he’s banned from Russia by President Vladimir Putin.

Russia does not win the war in Ukraine. Russia’s president Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” in Ukraine has been consistently backed by state TV stooges, with one raving that nuclear missiles could wipe out in the UK in “202 seconds”.And, as the war draws on into its fourth month, and with little signs of Russian progress, a US senator recently warned that Putin could launch a nuclear attack out of desperation.Now, addressing how long the war might continue for on Russian state TV, Margarita Simonyan issued a stark threat to any doubters about Russia’s ability to take on the West.“They all believe that we will lose and the West will win,” she began, in a clip translated and shared on Twitter by Julia Davis.“They don’t understand that it’s simply impossible, it will never happen.“Either we win, or this will end badly for all of humanity.

Morgan Freeman's placement on a list of Americans banned from visiting Russia prompted a plethora of reactions on social media Monday.The Academy Award-winning actor, 84, was among the 963 people on the list released by the Kremlin Saturday, calling him 'a well-known film actor who in September 2017 recorded a video message accusing Russia of conspiring against the United States and calling for a fight against our country.'The star of films such as The Shawshank Redemption, Driving Miss Daisy and Se7en had appeared in a clip for the Committee to Investigate Russia in which he claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin had implemented 'cyber warfare to attack democracies around the world,' particularly his 'sworn enemy, the United States.' The latest:Morgan Freeman's placement on a list of Americans banned from visiting Russia prompted a plethora of reactions on social media Monday. The actor, 84, was snapped last year during the remoteCritics Choice AwardsFreeman said in the clip: 'We have been attacked; we are at war.'Some users noted Freeman's past roles in response to the news item, including his portrayal of God in the 2003 film Bruce Almighty.

Vladimir Putin will soon unleash a bloody barrel bomb campaign in Ukraine after he brought in troops linked to the brutal Syrian army.The under-pressure Russian president has taken on 50 lethal weapons specialists to work alongside his own officials as they prepare to begin a new stage in the conflict, according to European intelligence officers speaking to the Guardian.Barrel bombs, containers packed with explosives and projectiles that are dropped from helicopters, killed more than 11,000 civilians in Syria after the outbreak of civil war in 2012 — including 1,821 children.Human rights groups have since accused airborne forces from Bashar al-Assad's government of using the weapon indiscriminately to unleash fear and terror upon entire populations.Now it is being claimed that the Russian army is planning to bring in men from its Middle Eastern allies to revive the flailing war effort in Ukraine, though some experts believe significant differences between the two conflicts may doom them to failure.Asserting that the western-backed and air-equipped Ukrainian army would be a much more difficult foe than the rebel groups in Syria, one European official told The Guardian: “This is probably why we haven’t seen them cross the border”“We know the capacity is there, but if they use it, they lose; we will know who’s done it, and they will likely be killed anyway.”Intelligence sources claim around 800 and 1,000 Syrian troops have volunteered to fight for the Russian army.Those wishing to travel to Europe to serve are said to have been promised salaries of $1,500 - $4,000 (£1200 - £3200) when they join the frontline, which is around ten times more than they would earn in their own country amid a prolonged economic crisis.Back on

Over the weekend, Russia released a lengthy list of people who are indefinitely banned from entering the country’s borders.

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki and Microsoft chief Satya Nadella were skedded to join 2,500 politicians, business and nonprofit leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week as the annual gathering kneecapped by Covid is back in person. It reconvenes, a bit subdued, at a critical moment with the world staggering under food scarcity, raging fuel prices and war.

Vladimir Putin underwent "successful" cancer surgery last week as the Kremlin used "deepfake" technology to pretend that he was still working, it has been claimed.

Russian soldiers are taking "execution lists" into Ukraine with the names of civilians they plan to hunt down and kill, according to two Ukrainian sisters. Maria and Anna, 48 and 52, were forced to flee after Vladimir Putin's invading forces raided their hometown of Enerhodar in the southeast of the country.

Russian President Vladimir Putin survived an assassination attempt two months ago, Ukraine intelligence claims. A hit on the tyrant at the start of his invasion on Ukraine fell through and proved to be nothing more than an "unsuccessful attempt" on his life, according to Ukraine's Chief of Defence Intelligence.Kyrylo Budanov has claimed Putin was attacked in the Caucasus in an assassination plot which has remained hidden under wraps since it happened.In an interview which will be broadcast in full tomorrow (Tuesday, May 24), Mr Budanov told Ukrainian Pravda: "Putin was assassinated…"He was even attacked in the line of, as they say, representatives of the Caucasus not so long ago."This is non-public information.

Vladimir Putin is struggling with another wave of massive military losses in Ukraine. It comes as military chiefs in Ukraine say their army killed 'hundreds' of Russian troops as they attempted to advance across the strategically vital Seversky Donets River in the east of the nation.

Russia.The crushing economic measures were imposed in response to Vladimir Putin’s orders to invade Ukraine on February 24.According to the Interfax news agency, Minister of Transport Vitaly Savelyev admitted that the measures had "practically broken" Russia’s logistics.Savelyev also claimed that Russian officials are now looking into new corridors to transport goods to Asia and beyond.The minister said: “'Those sanctions that were imposed today on the Russian Federation have practically broken all the logistics in our country. We are forced to look for new logistics corridors.”Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, large parts of Europe have implemented a ban on Russian goods.These new restrictions have also prevented Russia from using their regular trade routes.

Morgan Freeman is among 963 Americans who have been ‘permanently banned’ from entering Russia.The Shawshank Redemption actor, 84, joins a bumper list of celebrities who are forbidden to set foot in the country, including Mark Zuckerberg and the former first lady Hilary Clinton.The move comes in response to US sanctions imposed on the country for its invasion of Ukraine.Freeman was reportedly added to the list after appearing in a video clip in 2017 that accused the Russian government of meddling with American democracy.The Hollywood A-lister narrated the promotional video for an organisation named The Committee to Investigate Russia, according to CNN.The clip was directed by filmmaker Rob Reiner, best known for movies including The Princess Bride and When Harry Met Sally, and he has also been added to the Kremlin’s list.‘We emphasise that the hostile actions taken by Washington, which boomerang against the United States itself, will continue to receive a proper rebuff,’ Kremlin officials said.‘Russian counter-sanctions are forced and aimed at forcing the ruling American regime… to change its behaviour, recognising new geopolitical realities.’Democratic lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was also listed, alongside the late US senator John McCain, who died in 2018.Russia previously banned US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris from entering the country.Secretary of State Antony Blinken, CIA chief William Burns, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, and national security adviser Jake Sullivan were also among the names.The updated list comes after reports that Vladimir Putin’s health has been deteriorating for the past five years.Independent Russian media outlet Proekt scrutinised the Russian President’s absences,

Vladimir Putin could soon be admitted to a sanatorium, one former MI6 boss claims.

Vladimir Putin could be shipped off to a sanatorium to avoid a coup in the Russian government, the former boss of MI6 has claimed. The brutal Russian leader is rumoured to be suffering with cancer and Parkinson's disease and theories have circulated that he will soon lose his grip on power.

Vladimir Putin is gripped by paranoia and spends his days in an underground bunker where he tests his food for poison and frets about the chemical levels of water on his morning swim.The insecure former-KGB agent is so worried about being assassinated he has even retreated away from his formerly trusted inner circle. It’s a sign that Putin is taking threats about him being ousted by the Kremlin very seriously following reports top Russian officers were turning against their leader after his disastrous invasion of Ukraine.

Christopher Vourlias Russia may have been cut off from much of the international film community, but here at Cannes, members of the country’s media business are quietly trying to line up deals.Nearly three months into the war in Ukraine, the leadership of the film festival has spent its opening week fielding questions about its stance on Russia. Festival chief Thierry Frémaux, for instance, was grilled over the inclusion of competition title “Tchaikovsky’s Wife,” a movie with financial ties to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.