Europe

HELSINKI, April 26 (Reuters) - Russia seized temporary control of assets of Finnish energy group Fortum and its former German subsidiary Uniper, sowing confusion over the fate of other Western companies in Russia as pressure grows to hit Moscow with more sanctions over Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin late on Tuesday signed a decree establishing temporary control of the Russian assets of the two European state-owned energy firms. Fortum (FORTUM.HE) said it was "investigating" and both Uniper (UN01.DE) and the German finance ministry had no immediate comment.

April 26 (Reuters) - Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said on Wednesday that investigators had opened what he called an "absurd" terrorism case against him that could see him sentenced to an additional 30 years in jail.

Navalny, a former lawyer who rose to prominence more than a decade ago by lampooning President Vladimir Putin's elite and alleging large-scale corruption, is serving combined sentences of 11-1/2 years for fraud and contempt of court on charges that he says were trumped up to silence him.

25 Apr 2023; MEMO: Norway has announced a ban on importing goods and services of companies that contribute directly or indirectly to the illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied territories, as they constitute a flagrant violation of international law.

25 Apr 2023; MEMO: The Russian Defence Ministry said on Tuesday that Ukraine's attacks on the Black Sea Fleet jeopardised the extension of the grain deal, Anadolu News Agency reports.

MOSCOW, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Defense ministers of Russia, Iran, Syria and Türkiye held quadripartite talks in Moscow on Tuesday to explore measures aimed at strengthening security in Syria and normalizing Syrian-Turkish relations.

The participants paid special attention to the issues of countering all manifestations of terrorist threats and the fight against all extremist groups in Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Ukrainian government is launching an initiative Wednesday to streamline and promote innovation in the development of drones and other technologies that have been critical during Russia’s war in Ukraine.

As part of the initiative dubbed BRAVE1, the government hopes to bring state, military, and private sector developers working on defense issues together into a tech cluster that would give Ukraine a battlefield advantage.

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — For Ruslan, an engineer in the Belarus capital of Minsk, Russia’s war in neighboring Ukraine suddenly seemed closer than ever when a conscription office recently sent him a summons for military training.

It’s part of an effort that will see thousands of men in Belarus attend drills amid fears that the staunch Moscow ally could be drawn into the fighting.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian missile hit a museum building in a Ukrainian city on Tuesday, killing at least two people and wounding 10 others, part of a relentless barrage that comes as Ukraine is readying its forces for an expected spring counteroffensive.

Ukrainian officials said the Russian military used S-300 air defense missiles to attack Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region, hitting the museum of local history in the city center. The Russian military has repeatedly used S-300s, which Ukraine’s air defenses can’t intercept, to attack ground targets.

MOSCOW, April 25. /TASS/:  Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev urged Russia on Tuesday to counteract US efforts to launch a biological war against it and other countries.

"Specific biological research being used by the United States in developing military programs requires the closest attention of our scientific community," Patrushev said, urging proactive efforts to counteract preparations for a biological war against Russia and other countries.

BELGRADE, April 25. /TASS/: Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic pledged on Tuesday a revision of his country’s attitude toward Ukraine following yesterday’s vote on Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe.