Moscow said Thursday it has issued more than 80,000 Russian passports to residents of four Ukrainian territories since President Vladimir Putin claimed to have annexed the regions last month.

"Since the addition ... of the four regions into the Russian Federation, and in accordance with the legislation, more than 80,000 people received passports as

Russia on Thursday denied targeting the Ukrainian capital, instead accusing "foreign and Ukrainian" air defense missiles of causing damage in Kyiv, where critical energy infrastructure was hit a day earlier.

"Not a single strike was made on targets within the city of Kyiv," the Russian Defense Ministry said. 

Any damage was "the result of the fall

Russian lawmakerspassed legislation Thursday imposing steep fines for LGBT “propaganda” among both minors and adults.

The new bill bans the “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relationships” aimed at any age group — not just toward minors, as was banned under the country's controversial 2013 law. The bill also codifies new offenses such as “propa