Russian soldiers call the practice a sacrifice to Baba Yaga, a fearsome witch from Slavic folklore who feasts on her victims.

Russia's last aircraft carrier could be scrapped as Moscow considers permanently decommissioning it after years of troubled repairs. Authorities have suspended refurbishment work on the Admiral Kuznetsov whilst deliberating whether to invest additional funds or send the warship for scrap,

Vladimir Putin may be growing increasingly worried about a small NATO member on Russia's doorstep that is openly preparing for potential warfare.In what resembles a David versus Goliath standoff, the tiny Baltic state of Lithuania has started boosting military expenditures and conducting war games in response to escalating threats from Moscow.

Officials allege that the "international satanism movement" poses a direct threat to Russia and is being funded by the West.

Russian heavy metal and goth music fans in Russia could face prison after Vladimir Putin banned "satanists". The Kremlin's top court has outlawed the "international satanism movement" as an extremist and terrorist group - despite no such group existing.

Former prime minister Stephen Harper told a conference in Saskatchewan on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “an evil man” who will leave Russia poor and in chaos.

Russia was forced to downsize its celebration parades honouring the navy on Sunday amid security threats from continuing Ukrainian drone attacks, Kremlin officials said.Annual parades of Russian warships to mark the Navy Day were cancelled in St Petersburg,

Russia pummeled Ukraine overnight, killing 10 and injuring as many as 61 civilians, in part of a ramped up aerial campaign to advance strongman Vladimir Putin’s war into the Eastern European country.