Vladimir Putin's rumoured mistress is gymnast who 'gave birth to twins' before vanishing

Editor’s note: In Hollie McKay’s newest special report for Deadline, the seasoned foreign affairs correspondent and Only Cry for the Living: Memos from Inside the ISIS Battlefield author is still in Ukraine, where Vladimir Putin’s invasion is turning increasingly brutal & resistance is intensifying.

Vladimir Putin piggyback fancy dress costume may just be the most offensive party outfit ever. The costume has been listed for sale on eBay while Russia's president wages war and widespread suffering on the people of Ukraine.

Piers Morgan, 56, has once again taken to Twitter to condemn Russian President Vladmir Putin as he continues to "slaughter" Ukrainians.The former Good Morning Britain presenter has called for the world to stand up to Putin, along with leaders with "the guts to do it".Piers posted a series of tweets this evening in response to distressing pictures from Ukraine.Journalist Olga Tokairiuk took to Twitter to post pictures of pregnant Ukrainian women "covered in blood", along with pictures of dead bodies being put into mass graves.In response, Piers said in view of his 7.9 million followers: "FFS. How can we ignore this? (sic)"The world must stand up to Putin, and we need leaders with the guts to do it."He also took to Twitter to comment on a video showing Russian troops directly targeting a maternity hospital, full of women and children.In response, Piers said: "This is so f*****g disgusting."Putin's a genocidal monster deliberately slaughtering women & babies."At what point do we stop watching him commit these sickening war crimes and do something to stop him?"Our cowardly inaction is shameful & pathetic." (sic)Many social media users took to the comments of both posts to express their sadness on what is happening in Ukraine.Deanyemery said: "For once I agree with you @PiersMorgan."All those arguing against action as it would cause WW3 are just delaying the inevitable."Putin will not step down unless he makes some serious gains.

Vladimir Putin is renowned for his deep mistrust in everything and everyone - and it seems fighting champion Conor McGregor is no exception.

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.

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. 

Vladimir Putin’s strangely stiff walk may not be Parkinson's but could be linked to his years of being trained as a KGB operative, according to researchers.Many videos online have revealed Putin’s unusual walk that shows his right arm remain rigid by his side with his left free to swing normally.Some health specialists felt this could have been the signs of a stroke or Parkinson’s, but a group of researchers feel this is an effect of his strict training.Neurology professor Bastiaan Bloem of the Radboud University Medical Centre in the Netherlands has been analysing Putin’s walk on YouTube videos and only came to a conclusion over the strange walk after finding a KGB training manual.The KGB was the main security agency for the Soviet Union and was where Putin served for a reported 16 years.The manual shows how the KGB operatives were both trained and instructed to keep their right hand close to their chests.Researchers believe the instruction allowed the operative to be able to draw his gun quicker than a potential enemy in a move compared with gunslinger’s of the Wild West.Writing his theory in The BMJ, the British Medical Journal’s online publication, Mr Bloem and his fellow researchers said: “According to this manual, KGB operatives were instructed to keep their weapon in their right hand close to their chest and to move forward with one side, usually the left, presumably allowing subjects to draw the gun as quickly as possible when confronted with a foe.”They continued: “We propose that this new gait pattern, which we term ‘gunslinger’s gait,’ may result from a behavioural adaptation, possibly triggered by KGB or other forms of weapons training where trainees are taught to keep their right hand close to the chest

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.

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."

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

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".

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.

Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova has spoken out in a new interview against Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, calling the Russian leader “insane”.Tolokonnikova and her Pussy Riot bandmates have been longtime critics of Putin’s regime, with Tolokonnikova herself spending two years in a Siberian prison for dissenting. Earlier this year, she and bandmate Nika Nikulshina were labelled “foreign agents” by the Russian government.In a new interview with The Guardian, Tolokonnikova discussed her fears for the people of Ukraine and the jeopardy facing Russians who speak out against Putin.“Putin just signed a law that said you’re going to get 15 years in jail for even discussing the war in Ukraine,” she said.

Bloom Twins have covered John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ for UNICEF – listen to it below.It’s part of a campaign to help raise money for UNICEF’s #IMAGINE initiative that aims to unite “millions of people to raise awareness and funds for children’s rights globally.”The duo wrote: “Imagine a better world for children where EVERY child can play in peace. This is our solo version of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’.You can listen to it here:Speaking to NME recently, Bloom Twins’ Anna Kuprienko spoke out about the war in Ukraine and urged people “to something to stop this.”It comes after Ukraine severed diplomatic ties with Russia and declared martial law after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an attack on the neighbouring nation last month (February 24).“It’s important to strike for change,” Kuprienko told NME. “Now is the time for push for that.

Vladimir Putin's face has left people in fits of laughter, not least the bloke who spotted it.An Aberdeen Angus sizzle steak being sold for £2.99 was photographed on the top shelf of the meat aisle at Aldi in Croydon, south London. Musician Matt Gordon had his mates cracking up over a picture he took of the edible Putin lookalike but joked he stopped short of buying it through fear of repercussions from the Russian president.

Vladimir Putin has not lost his mind and still wants to avoid sparking a nuclear World War 3, according to a former Russian minister. Andrei V Kozyrev who worked at Russia's foreign minister between 1990 and 1996, claims there are three misguided yet rational reasons as to why the country's president ordered an invasion of Ukraine. For all the talk of Putin going insane as he suffers from an alleged terminal illness, the Kremlin believing its own propaganda is more likely to have inspired waging war, Kozyrev says.

fuel prices in at least 18 years due to Russia ’s invasion of Ukraine. The average price of a litre of petrol at UK forecourts rose from 149.2p on February 28 to 153.0p on Monday, according to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.Average diesel prices rose from 153.4p to 158.6p over the same period.The weekly increases of 3.8p for petrol and 5.2p for diesel are the largest in records dating back to June 2003.They mean the cost of filling up a typical 55-litre family car shot up by more than £2 over the past week.Russia is the world's second-biggest producer of crude oil and supplies a third of Europe’s needs.The war has raised fears supplies could be cut, driving up prices.The cost-per-barrel of Brent crude – the most commonly used way of measuring the UK’s oil price – reached $139 (£106) on Monday which was its highest in 14 years.RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said: "With the tragedy in Ukraine showing no signs of abating it looks like we all need to brace for forecourt prices to continue upward, not least because they tend to lag oil price movements by a week or two.

Former Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham didn’t hold back in revealing how former PresidentDonald Trump would’ve reacted if he was in a war with Russian President Vladimir Putin, while she guest co-hosted The View on Tuesday March 8. Grisham commended Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for joining his countrymen and battling against Russian forces, as Putin has invaded Ukraine, and she said that the ex-president wouldn’t have done the same in his shoes. “Donald Trump would be 57 feet below ground hiding, and Zelenskyy has been out there fighting,” she said to thunderous applause.

Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia ’s leader Vladimir Putin warned anyone “who might be tempted to meddle in the ongoing events” would face “consequences you have never encountered in your history”. Most commentators immediately saw those words as a nuclear threat – but Russia has a wide range of advanced new weapons systems, dubbed Putin’s superoruzhie or “super weapons”, that could have a devastating impact in Ukraine and further afield without risking the inevitable consequences of a nuclear confrontation.