Russian men flee military mobilization

Fresh figures have shown the extent of the European Union's efforts to reduce its energy dependency on Russia, with Moscow accounting for just 3 percent of the bloc's oil imports in the first quarter of this year, compared to 26 percent during the same period in 2022. The EU has also moved away from Russian natural gas, relying more heavily on Norway, the UK and Algeria. This comes as the decline in Moscow's export revenues weakens its currency.

Elena Milashina is in a "difficult" condition in a Moscow hospital, her editor and Russian Nobel peace laureate Dmitry Muratov has said.

The US military said Russian jets flew dangerously close to American jets over northwest Syria for a second time on Thursday after a similar incident Wednesday. The Central Command has released videos of both incidents.

The number of Russian deserters is rising. Thousands of men continue escaping the country, desperate to avoid military service. DW spoke to two of them.

While the EU is on course to wean itself off Russian fossil fuels, it's struggling to kick its nuclear habit. That's because Russia's nuclear industry still wields huge clout.

In France, pan-African influencers are gaining more and more followers on social media. Advocating a radical anti-Western ideology, some of them claim responsibility for the recent coups in Mali and Burkina Faso. Their narrative is similar to that of the Kremlin, which is trying to place its pawns on the African continent. FRANCE 24 profiles two French influencers who seem to have taken sides with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny is already serving sentences totaling more than 11 years on charges that he says were politically motivated. Now, prosecutors want to add 20 years on charges of "extremism."

Girkin, also known as Igor Strelkov, was a separatist commander during the Russian annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in 2014. However, he has since become a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

At a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko claimed mercenaries of the Wagner Group were planning a westward "excursion." How serious are the risks to NATO member Poland?

At least seven people were killed and 67 injured in a Russian nighttime missile strike on a city in Ukraine's eastern region of Donetsk, local authorities said early on Tuesday.

Nigerien tailor Yahaya Oumarou carefully ran cuts of white, blue and red fabric under his sewing machine, assembling them into the three horizontal bands of Russia's flag.

A Russian strike in Zaporizhzhia damaged a hotel frequented by the UN and NGO workers. Meanwhile, a group of Western nations condemned Russia's support for separatists in Georgia. Follow DW for more.