Vladimir Putin 'wanted to splurge £24million' on bizarre sport played by his daughter

Vladimir Putin of trying to starve Ukraine into submission after his initial military assault has stalled.Russian forces launched their invasion plans in late February and have been held back by brave Ukrainian forces, resulting in the Kremlin changing tactics.Speaking to a special meeting at Ireland’s parliament, he said: "This night, our territory was again hit by Russian missiles. They are destroying things that are sustaining livelihoods to people."They also have blocked all of our sea ports, together with the vessels that had already agricultural cargoes for exports."Why are they doing this? Because for them hunger is a weapon against us, ordinary people as an instrument of domination”.In the strategically-important city of Mariupol — where some 170,000 people are believed to be trapped by the Russian siege — food had virtually run out by March 13 with no aid convoys managing to get through since then.

Vladimir Putin is recruiting a Dad’s Army of old folks to prop up his creaking Ukraine invasion. The Russian army has put out an SOS for volunteers aged up to 60 after sustaining heavy losses during the disastrous six-week campaign.The military wants ex-soldiers nearing retirement age to rejoin in the Siberian cities of Chelyabinsk and Tyumen, according to Russian media.Moscow desperately wants old tank commanders, snipers and engineers.They would join up to 60,000 reservists recently called to active service along with 134,500 new conscripts forced into action.The conscripts - men aged 18 to 27 - make up a quarter of the army and only usually serve for a year.Defence experts said inexperienced fighters sent to Ukraine would be going to a `slaughterhouse’.The Kremlin has promised not to send the new recruits to warzones - but it previously pledged not to launch an invasion.Russia’s recruitment and conscription drives come amid NATO estimate that up to 15,000 Russian troops have perished in the war.

Wimbledon tournament due to fears relating to Vladimir Putin.

Vladimir Putin is now relying on the help of his very own 'Dad's Army' to help fight his war on Ukraine. In a desperate attempt to make up the numbers to replace soldiers killed in battle, the age cap for Russian military volunteers has been stretched to 60.Retired servicemen are being called up specifically to fill the roles of tank commanders, snipers and engineers in two Siberian cities after around 15,000 Russian soldiers fell to resistance in Ukraine.A rallying cry from the Kremlin for former soldiers to return to duty and make their way to either Chelyabinsk or Tyumen, has been reported by Russian media.

Vladimir Putin is said to live like a king on his extraordinary wealth after splashing the cash on a fleet of yachts, cars and presidential palaces, critics have claimed.

Vladimir Putin has drafted 130,000 conscripts into the Russian army in a desperate attempt to turn around his stalled invasion, according to western officials.

Russian invasion.Arthur Ozerov performs as the blonde-haired glitzy Aura in their home country but now the 32-year-old has decided to join the fight to save Ukraine.Arthur made the decision after feeling he can no longer sit back and watch his people being killed and buildings being destroyed by Vladimir Putin's troops.He said: “I can't just sit at home and watch how people are killed, houses are destroyed.“Victory of us! Everything will be Ukraine! Glory to Ukraine!“34 days of war have passed - we continue to defend my mother Ukraine.“Together to victory.”The Kyiv-native added: “More than 30 days of war, more than a month of blood.“I'm not a soldier in the army, but I help.“I'm a drag queen artist. I love my country.“Each of us is a hero and a warrior - each of us fights for Ukraine.“We are killed, but we fight and we win.“Ukraine will be independent and strong.”His decision to don the army uniform was praised on Instagram, with hundreds of users commenting with a variety of heart, clapping and Ukraine flag emojis.He becomes the latest in a long line of those with no combat skills joining the fight.To stay up to date with all the latest news, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.Yesterday, two Russian soldiers died and another 28 were in intensive care after eating poisoned stuffed buns gifted to them by brave and defiant Ukrainian civilians in the eastern town of Izium, near Kharkiv.It's thought that two soldiers from the 3rd Motor Rifle Division died immediately after eating the stuffed buns, the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine announced via Facebook on Saturday, April 2."As a result, two invaders were killed at once, another 28 went to intensive care.

Vladimir Putin has set up a hotline for Russians to report “traitors” who criticise the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin has reportedly set up a telephone hotline and website that allow “good citizens” to report “traitors” over any potential anti-war sentiments. Russian authorities have allegedly sent Russian citizens texts with instructions how to report one another, with outspoken voices being tossed in jail, the Daily Mirror reports.

ordered a military operation on its neighbouring country in February.“The Russian people are not responsible for the crazy, unacceptable excesses of their leaders like Vladimir Putin,” Depardieu, who has previously praised the Russian leader, said in a statement to French news agency AFP (per France 24).“Russia and Ukraine have always been brother countries,” he continued. “Stop the weapons and negotiate.”On Friday (April 1), Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for Putin, responded to Depardieu’s comments, telling reporters that the actor probably did not completely understand the situation in Ukraine and offered to explain it.“Since the president is mentioned there, I will assume that Depardieu most likely does not fully understand what is happening,” Peskov said on Friday (via News Interfax).He continued: “Due to the fact that he is not completely immersed in the political agenda, he does not understand what happened in Ukraine in 1914, he does not understand what the Minsk agreements are, he does not understand what Donetsk and Lugansk are, he hardly understands what is the bombing of civilians, he is unlikely to know about nationalist elements.”“If necessary, we will be ready to tell him all this and explain it so that he understands better. If he wants,” Peskov concluded.Depardieu left France and took up Russian nationality in 2013 to protest a proposed tax hike on the rich in his homeland.

Vladimir Putin bathes in antler blood because he believes it has health benefits including boosting male potency, reports claim.The Russian president has been a fan of the procedure since the mid-2000s and isn’t the only Kremlin official to enjoy the bizarre ritual.Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin is also said to soak in the rare liquid, which is extracted by painfully hacking off a deer's horns.Defence minister Sergei Shoigu introduced the alternative treatment to Putin who washed in a “bathtub containing an odorant extract from blood-filled deer antlers”.Although there is no evidence for the health benefits, the blood’s alleged impacts also include age reversal, bone and muscle strengthening, and even improvements to eyesight and hearing. It has been a tradition for hundreds of years in Russia and there is also evidence of it taking place in China and Korea.

Russian president Vladimir Putin is ­using a body double over fears he will be ­assassinated, it has been claimed. Sources believe the leader is afraid that military chiefs could stage a coup after he fired eight senior generals for their failure to ­capture Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was suffering with thyroid cancer and Parkinson's Disease when he ordered the Ukrainian invasion.These clues follow Putin's recent public appearances where the despot's "strong man" image was marred by looking "bloated" and "weakened". And in November last year a Russian political analyst revealed the despot had been struck by both cancer and Parkinson's Disease, while a separate source claimed he had undergone surgery for abdominal cancer, reports The Mirror.

Putin, has stolen their newborn daughter and is hiding her in Moscow. Zhanna Volkova, a Russian celebrity married to the country's 'youngest billionaire' Kirill Shamalov, says she has been prevented from meeting the baby, born via a surrogate in October. Ms Volkova claims an associate of her now-estranged husband has warned her off attempting to see the child.

Wrestlemania weekend, here's another one for you - in the raspy style of Mr McMahon: It's gonna be 'Big Bad' Vlad versus 'The Pain from Ukraine' Zelenskyy inside HELL IN A CELL!!All jokes aside though, this fight is actually happening. Or at least, it will be to the untrained eye.

Vladimir Putin is ­using a body double to avoid ­being ­assassinated. The Russian president fears military chiefs could stage a coup after he fired eight senior generals for their failure to ­capture Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin has lost another colonel during fierce fighting in Ukraine, which serves as further proof that the Russian leader's war isn't going according to plan. Lt Col Vitaly Slabtsov, 43, was an elite paratrooper buried with full military honours, say reports.The body of the commander was placed in a closed coffin with a Russian flag draped over it, indicating he had suffered devastating wounds in the war.

Vladimir Putin's best' fighters have suffered heavy losses during fierce fighting in Ukraine, it has been reported.The 331st Guards Parachute Regiment is considered among the most fearsome and well-trained in the Russian army, having fought for the city of Ilovaisk in the Donbas in 2014.But their involvement in Russia's invasion of Ukraine has exposed how the invasion hasn't gone as planned due to the number of fatalities they've suffered, Mirror reports.The regiment's commanding officer, Col Sergei Sukharev and deputy Major Sergei Krylov were killed in Ukraine on March 13 - a major blow for any military unit. According to the BBC, in the month since the invasion began, at least 37 other members of the 331st have lost their lives in Ukraine.

Pope Francis has said was considering visiting Kyiv as he condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin for launching a “savage” war. Speaking after his arrival in Malta, he delivered his most pointed and personalised denunciation yet of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

widespread speculation about the health of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, reports are emerging that he takes regular baths in a controversial liquid extracted from deer antlers that is alleged to “increase male potency”.Reports also claim the despot is being accompanied by a cancer specialist almost everywhere he goes. According to a report from Russian news site Proekt, Putin has become increasingly concerned about his health as he approaches 70.He’s known to make frequent visits to Sochi, a popular Black Sea resort, where he is attended by a team of doctors from Moscow’s Central Clinical Hospital.One of them is cancer specialist Evgeny Selivanov, who has reportedly spent over 166 days with the leader over the four years to 2020.But alongside respected medical experts, Putin is exploring less scientific methods to preserve his health.According to Russian news site Meduza, he’s been taking baths in an extract made from the antlers of young red deer – a remedy supposed to boost the cardiovascular system and “improve male potency”.One Russian farm - which exports antlers for use in Chinese traditional medicine, claims: "Extract from red deer antlers acts as a strong tonic, especially for men's potency."It strengthens the body's bones, muscles, teeth, eyesight and hearing, cures pleurisy, pneumonia, asthma, joint pain, osteoporosis, and problems with the spine."The antler bath craze has become increasingly popular among the Russian elite after it was popularised by now-disgraced Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu However animal rights activists say that using deers’ antlers in this way is cruel.

Vladimir Putin could be suffering from a "Napoleon complex" that has pushed the world to the brink of war, an expert has claimed.The Russian President is just 5ft 7ins tall, which is three inches smaller than the average Russian and may explain Putin's maniacal behaviour.The image-conscious president could join a list of rulers including Napoleon, Hitler and Stalin as failed leaders whose height got the better of them, leading to the provocation of bloody wars in Europe.Professor Abraham Buunk and Professor Mark van Vugt argue that Putin is suffering from a bad Napoleon Complex, with some reports suggesting the Russian President could be as short as 5ft 2ins.The psychological claim allegedly afflicted French emperor Napoleon, who was often depicted as short.Theories stemming from the Napoleon complex mentality claim that some insecure smaller men tend to be more aggressive and domineering, seeking to assert themselves and their power over others through ruthless means.Experts have since claimed that Putin is showing all the signs of a classic Napoleon complex case, The Sun reported.Snaps of the Russian President show Putin wearing some oddly clunky shoes, with some theorising that the chunky high heeled shoes are there to boost his height, with lifts buried inside the shoes.Professor van Vugt has said the tyrant is adopting ruthless tactics like poisoning and warfare to "compensate for his lack of physical strength" and said world leaders must be "very careful that... [pushing him] doesn't start a third world war".Speaking to The Sun, the professor said: "He wants to come across as a strong leader.

Vladimir Putin is “constantly” accompanied by a doctor specialising in thyroid cancer as rumours of his ill health refuse to disappear, a new investigation shows.Surgeon Yevgeny Selivanov, of Moscow's Central Clinical Hospital, has flown to the Russian leader no less than 35 times in Black Sea resort Sochi, his favourite place of residence.The respected doctor’s thesis - showing his area of medical expertise - was entitled: ”Peculiarities of diagnostics and surgical treatment of elderly and senile patients with thyroid cancer".This follows reports that Putin is dying in agony from terminal bowel cancer, according to intelligence from the Pentagon and in Ukraine. His “puffy face” is a sign he is taking chemotherapy drugs or steroids and his unsmiling expression shows he is in constant pain, US sources say.The recent discovery by investigative media Project (or Proekt) media - blocked in Russia and now functioning from abroad - backs recent theories that Putin declared war when he was suffering medical problems hidden from the Russian people.