Belarus remains one of Russia's closest allies in the war against Ukraine. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russian authorities have reportedly been recruiting Belarusians through draft commissions operating inside Belarus.

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Tuesday it had opened a criminal case against exiled Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky, accusing him of creating a "terrorist organisation" and of plotting to violently seize power.

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky said he will be meeting the US president Donald Trump on Friday, when the two will discuss long-range missile capabilities to pressure Russia.

First lady Melania Trump said she has been communicating with Vladimir Putin's government about reuniting Ukrainian children with their families.

Russia has accused the U.K. of plotting a sabotage operation in a move that shows Moscow is setting the conditions for a conflict with NATO, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Britain's domestic spy agency MI5 issued a rare public warning to members of parliament on Monday that they are being targeted by spies from China, Russia and Iran in an attempt to undermine the country's democracy.

Almost 900 miles from Ukraine’s borders, a fire erupted at a Russian oil refinery on Saturday. The blaze – a result of a strike by Ukrainian long-range drones, according to sources in the country’s security services – was the third at the facility in the last month alone.

Gould-Davies, a Senior Fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies who has served as the U.K. ambassador to Belarus, wrote recently that foreign-policy setbacks and economic challenges have put Russia in a bind,

China's yuan-denominated exports to Russia in September posted their biggest drop in seven months, accelerating the decline seen in August, Chinese customs data showed on Monday. Outbound shipments to Russia contracted 21% in yuan terms last month to 63.

The strike reportedly occurred around midnight, marking the second attack on the facility in a week — the previous one took place on Oct. 6, according to the Crimean Wind Telegram channel.