Reliance on Russia’s military offerings has become increasingly prevalent in parts of Africa, amid an aggressive push by Moscow to lessen Western influence on the continent.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday Ukraine and Britain "had no room" for cooperation in the Sea of Azov, commenting on a new 100-year partnership agreement between Kyiv and London the two countries' leaders announced on Thursday.

While Moscow and Tehran have shared warmer relations for decades, a revival of the nations’ allyship occurred when the former invaded Kyiv.

President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to broker a peace deal in Ukraine, but as he prepares to take office, peace seems as elusive as ever

At least three people were killed in the assault on the capital, and at least one died and 10 were wounded in a separate strike in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia.

According to Ushakov, Moscow will not have a presence at the inauguration because Russia's possible candidate for Russian ambassador to the U.S.—Alexander Darchiev, the head of the North American Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry—has still not received an agrément from Washington.

Ukraine continues to cripple Russia's energy sector by hitting numerous oil refineries, depots, chemical plants, and more with drones.

The presidents of Russia and Iran have held talks in the Kremlin before the signing of a broad cooperation pact to deepen their partnership amid stinging Western sanctions.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow was in contact with its "Serbian friends" about the fate of Serbian oil company NIS, which Belgrade fears will face U.S. sanctions because Russia's Gazprom is its majority owner.

Russia has long used its plentiful energy resources as a tool to exert control over the region, where independence from Russian energy is tied to political sovereignty.

Ukraine fired six US-made ATACMS ballistic missiles, six British Storm Shadow cruise missiles and at least 146 drones into Russia in a mass attack, says Moscow. It threatened retaliation against the air strikes.

Moscow said on Tuesday that Ukraine had fired six U.S.-made ATACMS ballistic missiles, six UK-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles and at least 146 drones into Russia in an attack that it said would not go unanswered.