Russian President Vladimir Putin has said in a televised address that the Ukraine war has obtained features of a global conflict after attacks by Western missiles on Russia's Kursk and Bryansk regions.
Tokyo stocks retreated on Wednesday as investors grappled with heightened uncertainties surrounding US monetary policy and geopolitical tensions between Ukraine and Russia.
The Indian stock market, which saw a super rally on Tuesday, lost the steam towards the end amid heavy profit-booking, as fresh tensions between Ukraine and Russia came to light.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree approving Russia's updated nuclear doctrine, the Kremlin reported Tuesday.
A troubling wave of denunciations in Russia has revived a practice reminiscent of one of the darkest chapters in Soviet history. Citizens, emboldened by rhetoric that glorifies patriotism and vilifies dissent, are turning against one another, fuelling a climate of fear and repression.
Russia's central bank has increased its key interest rate from 18 per cent to 19 percent in an effort to curb inflation, the bank said in a statement on Friday.
Amid proactive diplomacy by India to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval met his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu on the sidelines of the BRICS NSAs meeting in St Petersburg.
The aim of the drills is to assess the combat readiness of the Russian Navy and the Air Force, as well as to check their interoperability, he said as he joined the opening of the exercise via video link.
Officials from the Gulf states and Russia, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, discussed the ongoing Ukraine crisis and the international community's efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution.
The meeting came amid attempts by India and other friendly nations to mediate between Russia and Ukraine to bring their ongoing conflict to an end.
