Angela Merkel urges Vladimir Putin to release Ukrainian sailors

Monday's meeting between the Russian and French presidents in Moscow gave rise to a lot of photoshopped content on social media - mostly sufficiently far-fetched so as not to be believable. We take a closer look. We also take a look at some convincing fake news stories that have been doing the rounds about Russia's current tensions with Ukraine and NATO.

Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw military exercises involving Russian "strategic forces." The drills included ballistic and cruise missile launches.

Today we take a look at day two of Russia's attack against Ukraine, with shelling and combat claimed on several fronts. Ukrainian forces fought off Russian troops in the capital Kyiv on Friday, as Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the Ukrainian army to remove the country's leadership.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was the latest international leader in Moscow to sound out Russia's Vladimir Putin on the war in Ukraine. Some see Bennett as a potential mediator between Moscow and Kyiv.

Did the Russian president harshly criticise Emmanuel Macron? In a video shared widely on social media since March 1, Vladimir Putin is subtitled in French saying not-so-flattering things about Macron, which is quite credible in the context of current geopolitical tensions. The video however dates back to 2019, at the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum. A full transcript of the forum confirms that the subtitles are completely bogus. Elsewhere, we take a look at a Russian fact-checking website that is far from fully neutral on events in Ukraine.

The war in Ukraine overshadows Moscow's annual celebration of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. Following the huge military parade, the Russian president has claimed Russia is defending the "Motherland" in Donbas.

A nuclear threat from Ukraine? A Ukrainian invasion of Crimea? Ukrainian neo-Nazis? Russian President Vladimir Putin's May 9 speech contained new and familiar accusations amid the war in Ukraine. Most of them are false.

Putin accused the West of attempting to "subordinate" Russia with sanctions during a speech at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. He also announced new deals with China and Myanmar regarding gas and oil.

The Russian president's "pivot to Asia" looks shaky after India and China gave him a subtle cold shoulder at a recent conference. Southeast Asian countries are wary of a Western backlash if they cooperate with Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has promoted his close accomplice, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, to colonel general. Who is Putin's self-avowed 'foot soldier'?

The Turkish president said his government would quickly start working on plans for the project — despite facing criticism from fellow NATO members over his relations with Russia amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Setting up a special international tribunal to try Russia's aggression against Ukraine would be an important signal, Claus Kress of the University of Cologne told DW — even if there were no convictions.