A suspected gas explosion early Saturday in a five-story residential building killed nine people in Russia's southeastern Sakhalin island, the local governor said.

The blast occurred in a brick building built in the 1980s in the village of Tymovskoye, the TASS news agency reported.

"Nine people were killed, including four children," the region's

Write comment (99 Comments)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday dismissed the idea of a "short truce" with Russia, saying it would only make things worse.

"Russia is now looking for a short truce, a respite to regain strength. Someone may call this the war's end, but such a respite will only worsen the situation," the Ukrainian leader said in remarks broadcast at

Write comment (96 Comments)

Belarus's autocratic president, Alexander Lukashenko, on Friday ridiculed McDonald's after the announcement it would be replaced by a Russian franchise following its departure over the Ukraine conflict. 

McDonald's in Belarus will from Tuesday operate under the name 'Delicious. Full Stop.', the moniker of the Russian chain that took over the U.S.

Write comment (94 Comments)

Finland unveiled a plan on Friday to build a 200-kilometer fence along its border with Russia, amid increased security concerns since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine began in late February.

"In this situation, we have every reason to reconsider our arrangements," Brigadier General Jari Tolppanen of the Finnish Border Guard agency told AFP.

Some 200

Write comment (93 Comments)

Updates with comments and background

The Russian Defence Ministry on Friday accused Kyiv of executing at least 10 prisoners of war in what Moscow said constituted a "war crime," the latest allegation of abuses after nearly nine months of fighting in Ukraine.

Moscow's claims come after the UN this week published a report saying prisoners of war on

Write comment (97 Comments)

The Netherlands summoned the Russian ambassador on Friday after Moscow accused a Dutch court of a politically motivated verdict in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 above Ukraine.

Russia's foreign ministry had on Thursday described as "scandalous" the ruling by Dutch judges that saw two Russians and a Ukrainian sentenced to life

Write comment (97 Comments)