Raphael Stevens

Antony Blinken insists “Ukraine will become a member of Nato” and said the US will do “everything we can” to ensure the country has what it needs to defeat Russia.The US secretary of state made his comments as Nato celebrated its 75th anniversary in Brussels on Thursday (4 April).Mr Blinken said that “support for Ukraine, the determination of every country represented here at Nato, remains rock solid.”“We will do everything we can, allies will do everything that they can, to ensure that Ukraine has what it needs to continue to deal with Russia’s ongoing aggression.” More

Supporters of an anti-corruption crusader and one of India’s most consequential politicians of the past decade held protests today (Friday 22 March) against his arrest.Arvind Kejriwal was arrested yesterday by a federal agency that accused his party and ministers of accepting 1 billion rupees ($12 million) in bribes from liquor contractors nearly two years ago, a top leader of his party said.Atishi Singh, a leader of Kejriwal’s Aam Admi Party denied the accusations and said they were fabricated by the federal agency, which is controlled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.Singh said her party will ask India’s Supreme Court to quash Kejriwal’s arrest and that he should be questioned, not arrested, as the investigation is still in progress in the case. More

North Korea leader Kim Jong-un watched on as experts successfully tested a solid-fuel engine for its new-type intermediate-range hypersonic missile.Kim oversaw the test on Tuesday (19 March) at the Sohae Launch Site, a frequent venue for previous launches of missiles and satellites.This is seen as progress in developing a more powerful, agile missile designed to strike faraway US targets in the region.A hypersonic missile is among an array of high-tech weapons systems that Kim publicly vowed to introduce in 2021 to cope with what he called deepening US hostility. More

Alexei Navalny’s widow Yulia Navalnaya joined election protesters outside the Russian embassy in Berlin on Sunday (17 March).The crowd could be heard chanting her name as Ms Navalnaya shook hands with protesters.Protesters could also be seen holding up a fake street sign reading “Alexei Navalny Street”.The sham Russian election, taking place this weekend, is widely expected to confirm Vladimir Putin’s fifth term of presidency, set to last for at least another six years.Putin, 71, faces little competition; his opponents are either in jail or in exile abroad. His most prominent competition- Mr Navalny – died in a remote Arctic penal colony last month. More

A Russian voter flooded a ballet box with green paint in protest against Vladimir Putin.The resident took disruptive action at the polling station in the Alekseevsky district of the Belgorod region of Russia, by flooding a stationary ballot box with green paint on the second day of the presidential elections.The resident was promptly arrested by police at the scene.The sham election is widely expected to confirm Putin’s fifth term of presidency, set to last for at least another six years.Putin, 71, faces little competition; his opponents are either in jail or in exile abroad. More

Alexei Navalny’s wife Yulia Navalnaya has issued a defiant election message to Vladimir Putin at a Hungarian rally.The current Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban is reportedly an old friend and political ally of Putin.As Russia heads to the polls for a general election, Ms Navalnaya recorded an appeal, which was shown at the rally on Saturday (16 March).Ms Navalnaya said: “In every speech I make, I emphasise one thing: Putin is not Russia. Russia is not Putin. And Hungary is not Orban either. This is what you prove here today. Democratic and free Hungary has allies – tens of millions of my fellow citizens who also want to live in a democratic and free Russia.” More

Vladimir Putin is shown appearing to vote online in the Russian election, in a new video released by the Kremlin.The video, released on Friday (15 March), shows Putin voting on the first of three presidential election days in Russia.Russian authorities have been promoting online voting since the beginning of the pandemic, but critics have panned it as an attempt to obscure real voting data.The sham election is widely expected to confirm Putin’s fifth term of presidency, set to last for at least another six years.The footage has not been verifed by The Independent. More

Watch the moment Alexei Navalny and his wife Yulia Navalnaya shared a final kiss as he was detained in Moscow in 2021.The Russian opposition leader, 47, has reportedly died in an Arctic jail on Friday, 16 February. He was Vladimir Putin’s most prominent critic.In the video, he was returning to Russia after spending five months recovering from nerve agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin.With officers awaiting him, he and his wife share several kisses and hug each other tightly, before she turns her back so she doesn’t have to watch him leave. He then disappeared with the officers. More