The Latest Breaking News from Dmitry Medvedev

Sometime this summer, if President Vladimir Putin can be believed, Russia moved some of its short-range nuclear weapons into Belarus, closer to Ukraine and onto the doorstep of NATO’s members in Central and Eastern Europe

These are the main developments as the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its 517th day.

Vladimir Putin’s disastrous military defeats, his nuclear sabre-rattling and his endless raising of the stakes in Ukraine have forced even staunch pro-Kremlin commentators to question his decisions. 

Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was notorious for unbridled and profane challenges to authority even before the attempted rebellion that he mounted Saturday

Dmitry Medvedev said Russia would never allow Wagner's 'crazy criminals' to succeed, prior to the mercenary group's dramatic U-turn on Sunday

So the Ukrainian counteroffensive is well and truly underway, even if progress is measured in metres rather than the rapid advances that characterised Ukraine’s highly successful push last autumn. Volodymyr Zelensky himself has confirmed this, saying progress has been “slower than desired” and noting that the Russian invaders have mined…

In what is more than likely to turn out to be an attempt at escalation in the confrontation between Nato and Russia over the war in Ukraine, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev argued recently on his Telegram channel that Russia should have the right to attack submarine data cables.

Vladimir Putin has marked Russia's national day by appealing to Russians' patriotic pride, saying it is a "difficult time" for the country.

Threats emanating from Russia have escalated in recent months, with the former prime minister and president Dmitry Medvedev leading the charge.