A Russian military captain has urged Vladimir Putin to deploy the nation's nuclear-capable hypersonic missile against Europe, a move that could potentially ignite World War III.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has instructed the government to take measures by September 1 this year to restrict the use of foreign software in Russia, including messengers developed in “enemy countries.

The E.U. approved plans to lower a price cap on Russian oil and ban transactions with 22 more Russian banks, pressing ahead with sanctions without the U.S.

"Strengthening air defense capabilities is clearly an urgent priority for Iran at the moment," expert Hongda Fan told Newsweek.

This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission. As Russia remains preoccupied with

The EU also targeted the Nord Stream pipelines between Russia and Germany to prevent Putin from generating any revenue from them in future, notably by discouraging would-be investors. Russian energy giant Rosneft’s refinery in India was hit as well.

From 2015 to 2018, she was Deputy National Intelligence Officer for Russia and Eurasia at the National Intelligence Council. JIM TOWNSEND is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security.

U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to ramp up arms shipments to Ukraine is a signal to Kyiv to abandon peace efforts, Russia said on Thursday, vowing it would not accept the "blackmail" of Washington's new sanctions ultimatum.