Mr Putin’s war against Ukraine inadvertently led to an end to the hitherto intractable conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which is now struggling to break free of Russia’s grip and make peace with Turkey.

Former Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit died by suicide on Monday, just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin fired him from the job, officials said.

Russia is using gold and crypto to bypass Western sanctions, a top regulator said on Tuesday. "Netting" is another offbeat way Russia is using to beat sweeping sanctions. Russia's economy faces challenges, with a potential recession and slowing GDP growth.

By Elena Fabrichnaya and Gleb Bryanski MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian companies are successfully using netting, gold, and cryptocurrency to facilitate international payments, the head of Russia's financial watchdog told President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.

Minister of Transport Roman Starovoy likely killed himself hours after being fired by President Vladimir Putin.

A bipartisan Russia sanctions bill is gaining momentum in the Senate and could soon come to a vote as Republican lawmakers attempt to strike a careful balance with President Donald Trump.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he was not happy with Russian President Vladimir Putin and was considering additional sanctions on Moscow, underscoring his frustration over the growing death toll in Russia's war with Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin is facing a catastrophic decline in demographics as a plunging birth rate, which could see the population shrink, and the ongoing war in Ukraine take its toll, as well as other factors,