Wildfires in Siberia covered more than 13.4 million hectares, 78% of which are in Yakutia, a vast northwestern area where dozens of houses are damaged or evacuated. The smoke has reached the North Pole for the first time in recorded history

After a two-hour phone call with US President Trump, President Putin revealed no breakthroughs and told reporters he would be ready to negotiate a peace deal with Ukraine, repeating his demand for broad concessions

The 47th Moscow International Film Festival MIFF, one of the oldest in the world having had its first edition in 1935, will open in Moscow tomorrow 17 April; ending on 24 April, it will display dozens of international works including five from Iran

Sahel foreign ministers arrived in Moscow for their first official talks with Russia following the breaking of relations between Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger and traditional western allies, namely France and other EU countries

Russian tennis player Daria Kasatkina will play under the Australian flag after announcing she has changed nationality; currently number 12 in the WTA ranking, she had repeatedly criticised the war in Ukraine