Russia is looking into the possibility of developing a national video game engine to support the country’s developers should American companies like Unreal Engine creator Epic Games and Unity Technologies refuse to do business with them over the Russian government’s ongoing assault on Ukraine, Kommersant reports. (h/t eXputer)

A lawyer for WNBA star Brittney Griner at her drug possession trial in Russia on Friday gave the court a U.S. doctor’s letter recommending she use medical cannabis to treat pain. Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and standout for the Phoenix Mercury, was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in February after customs officials said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage.

A Moscow court on Tuesday fined Apple 2 million rubles (about $34,000) for refusing to store the personal data of Russian users on servers in Russia.

Kaliningrad’s governor says the move would act as a response to the ‘blockade’ by Lithuania.

Leery of a national draft for the Ukraine war, the Kremlin is offering cash bonuses and employing strong arm tactics.

The space agency speaks out against its partner

The two-time US Olympic basketball gold medalist Brittney Griner went on trial at a court near Moscow on Friday, on drug smuggling charges which can be punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

A close Putin political ally and reservist general has called for London to be hit first in a World War Three. MP Andrey Gurulyov, 54, a member of Russian parliament’s defence committee, advocated the Russian invasion of the NATO Baltic countries. On state TV’s Channel 1 he said there was no other way to prevent the West blockading Russian exclave Kaliningrad.

The mayor of Ukraine's Sievierodonetsk said Ukrainian troops had "almost left" the strategic frontline city after holding out for weeks against advancing Russian forces. Mayor Oleksandr Stryuk did not confirm whether a full withdrawal was underway. On Friday, regional authorities said Ukraine was set to pull back its troops there.

In Kherson, Ukrainians find it hard to judge the acceptable limits of resistance and co-operation

Three months after it went on hold, production of Lada cars has restarted – but with strict Western sanctions

"Zoolander" met Zelenskyy on Monday as actor Ben Stiller visited Kyiv to mark World Refugee Day. The comedy star praised the Ukrainian president — himself a former comedian and actor — as a hero during the meeting, telling him: “You’re amazing.” Stiller visited Zelenskyy in his role as an ambassador for the United Nations refugee agency. It comes as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to force millions of people to flee the war-torn country, exacerbating a growing global crisis that has seen the number of displaced people pass 100 million for the first time on record.

Russian-born tennis player Natela Dzalamidze has changed her nationality to Georgian to avoid the ban Wimbledon imposed on all Russian players following the country's invasion of Ukraine. The doubles specialist, ranked No. 43 in the world, is now officially listed as having Georgian nationality on the WTA website and is eligible to compete with doubles partner Aleksandra Krunić of Serbia when Wimbledon gets underway on June 27.

Hackers on Friday delayed the start of President Vladimir Putin's speech to Russia's flagship economic forum, shorn of strong Western participation as Russia adjusts to the "new reality" of life under Western sanctions.

In an interview with a German newspaper published on Sunday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the war in Ukraine could last for many years. In an interview with Bild am Sonntag, Stoltenberg warned that "no one knows" how long the war will last and reiterated that Russia needs support as long as its invasion continues.

Tensions between Russia and the West are aggravating talks about the future of one of the United Nations’ biggest and most perilous peacekeeping operations, the force sent to help Mali resist a decade-long Islamic extremist insurgency. The U.N.’s mission in the West African nation is up for renewal this month, at a volatile time when extremist attacks are intensifying. Three U.N. peacekeepers have been killed this month alone. Mali’s economy is choking on sanctions imposed by neighboring countries after its military rulers postponed a promised election.

There are increasing signs that Western unity over the war in Ukraine could be starting to crack as the conflict drags on and leaders face public discontent over rampant inflation and the cost-of-living crisis. There are widespread concerns over how long the war could continue, with some strategists saying it has all the hallmarks of a war of attrition where no side “wins” and the losses and damage inflicted by both sides, over a protracted and prolonged period, are immense.

WEB PAGES IN the city of Kherson in south Ukraine stopped loading on people’s devices at 2:43 pm on May 30. For the next 59 minutes, anyone connecting to the internet with KhersonTelecom, known locally as SkyNet, couldn’t call loved ones, find out the latest news, or upload images to Instagram. They were stuck in a communications blackout.

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, victory was expected in a matter of days, if not hours. Four months later, the fighting is ongoing. With Russia’s struggling war effort and the battery of crippling international sanctions tanking its economy, Western media and analysts of the region have begun speculating about the potential of a “palace coup” — a coup by state elites — to overthrow Vladimir Putin.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy insisted on Saturday that Ukraine would prevail in its almost four-month-long war with Russia that has become focussed on a grinding artillery slugging match over an eastern Ukrainian city.