Russia: Alexei Navalny declares hunger strike in jail

Russia is one of the countries with the lowest vaccination rates and highest Covid-19 death rates in the world. With just over 30 percent of the population vaccinated, the Russian authorities' vaccination campaign has been deemed a fiasco. And yet when Vladimir Putin announced the launch of the Sputnik V vaccine in summer 2020, it was supposed to "save humanity from Covid". More than a year later, the jab has still not arrived on the European market and the majority of Russians do not trust it.

Would Russia really invade Ukraine? Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin are speaking by video link after more than a month of escalation in eastern Ukraine and across the Russian border, where a troop build-up has got NATO allies warning of red lines and harsh sanctions if those troops cross over. We debrief the virtual summit and Washington's threat to send more troops to Eastern Europe in case of attack.

The two leaders talked via videolink amid a tense standoff over Ukraine. US officials said Russia would face severe sanctions if troops crossed the border into Ukranian territory.

Would Russia really invade Ukraine? Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin are speaking by video link after more than a month of escalation in eastern Ukraine and across the Russian border, where a troop build-up has got NATO allies warning of red lines and harsh sanctions if those troops cross over. We debrief the virtual summit and Washington's threat to send more troops to Eastern Europe in case of attack.

On the cusp of taking the reins from Angela Merkel, incoming chancellor Olaf Scholz has sent a strong signal about where his government's foreign policy priorities lie. DW has rounded-up the most important points.

Foreign ministers meeting in Liverpool threatened the Kremlin with fresh economic sanctions in the event of an invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, Tehran was told that time is running out to revive the nuclear deal.

The Group of Seven countries have condemned Russia's military buildup near its border with Ukraine and warned that further military aggression against Ukraine would have "massive consequences." G7 foreign ministers also issued a warning to Iran.

At a European Parliament ceremony in Strasbourg, representatives of the jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny have accepted the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought on his behalf.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged the European Union to act swiftly, as concern grows over Russia's military buildup on the border to Ukraine. Coming up with a sanctions policy after an invasion would be too late, he said.

In November, shortly before the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Soviet Union, the Russian authorities moved to close down one of the country's oldest and most influential NGOs, Memorial, which was dedicated to preserving the memory of Stalin-era repressions. Despite everything, the group's historians are determined to continue the fight to open up the archives of the Soviet secret services. FRANCE 24's Elena Volochine and Gulliver Cragg report, with illustrations by Sofiya Voznaya.

As tensions simmer and troops amass along on both sides of the border, DW's Nick Connolly visited eastern Ukraine. Close to the Russian border, in the town of Milove, he spoke with locals about what it's like to live there.

For the first installment of our series marking thirty years since the fall of the Soviet Union, we ask the question: is Stalin making a comeback? Since 2014 and Vladimir Putin’s annexation of Crimea, statues and busts of the Soviet dictator have been appearing all over Russia. Meanwhile, many of the details concerning the crimes committed by his regime remain unknown, with archives in large part still closed. Putin, a former KGB agent and FSB chief, does not hide his nostalgia for the Soviet era. His regime has cultivated an ambiguous relationship with Stalin, and he stands accused of using the same methods against his opponents today.