Russia and Iran deepen ties as deadly missile strike hits eastern Ukraine
Closer military, energy and other co-operation planned under 20-year pact between Moscow and Tehran
Russia
Irish military aircraft deployed to monitor Russian ‘shadow fleet’ vessel
Defence Forces says the Metagas Everest tanker, which is the subject of US and UK sanctions, is a ‘vessel of interest’
Moscow says it will respond to ‘massive’ Ukrainian strike on targets deep inside Russia
Nato launches Baltic patrol mission after suspected Russian sabotage of undersea cables
Russian forces advance towards Ukraine’s Dnipro region
Troops bypass urban warfare in Donetsk and push towards highway leading to Dnipropetrovsk
Ukraine captures two North Korean soldiers in Kursk, Zelenskiy says
The North Korean soldiers have been brought to Kyiv and are communicating with Ukraine’s security service, Zelenskiy says
Naval Service goes to sea without working guns as maritime threats mount
Personnel shortage means only one ship can patrol Ireland’s vast economic zone at a time - and even that rate may have to be reduced
Daniel McLaughlin appointed Irish Times Eastern Europe Correspondent
Award-winning journalist has covered Russian invasion of Ukraine after time in London, Moscow and Budapest
Kremlin says Putin ready to meet Trump and sees divisions growing in the West
Kyiv tells allies it would be ‘crazy to drop the ball’ when Trump returns to White House
Hostile actions ‘are real and accelerating’: is Russia already at war with the West?
Europe divided and afraid of ‘escalation’ as Moscow’s unacknowledged attacks become more reckless
Italy’s Meloni sees Trump defending western interests, engaging with Ukraine
Italian prime minister seeks to allay concerns that Trump might break with Washington’s traditional European allies as he pursues a Maga agenda
Ireland is not immune to the wave of foreign state espionage sweeping Europe
One of the first tasks of the new government will be how to persuade the incoming Trump administration that Ireland is not a soft touch
Heavy clashes in Ukraine and Russia as Kyiv vows to learn from French-trained brigade’s woes
High-profile ‘Anna of Kyiv’ brigade dogged by desertion, poor organisation and lack of drones
Moldova lambasts Russia as gas crisis deepens in Moscow-backed separatist region
Pro-western government in Chisinau says Moscow stoking trouble before elections
Moscow claims gains in eastern Ukraine as Kyiv presses new offensive in Russian border region
Kremlin may give military ally North Korea ‘advanced space and satellite technology’, US warns
Ukraine launches new surprise offensive in Kursk region of western Russia, officials say
Russian troops attempting to flank Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk oblast and have captured several nearby villages
The Russians made them kneel in a line and shot them point blank: A dispatch from the front line
Lt Yulia Mykytenko gives her eye witness account of the horrors of Russia’s attack in the context of Christmas and looming new year
Alan Bennett’s Beckettian look at life in a care home; Irish links with Romanov Russia; bell hooks on girlhood
Killing Time by Alan Bennett; Anarchy and Authority: Irish Encounters with Romanov Russia by Angela Byrne; Bone Black by bell hooks
Slovakia threatens to cut aid to Ukrainian refugees as gas row deepens
Moldova accuses Russia of causing ‘security crisis’ by cutting gas flow to separatist-held region
Tánaiste criticises Russia’s ‘abhorrent’ bombings of Ukraine’s energy grid
Micheál Martin said Russian attacks continue ‘to cynically target civilians and civilian infrastructure’
Russian forces aiming to surround strategic eastern city of Pokrovsk, Ukraine says
Kyiv defends ending transit role for Russian gas as Kremlin halts flows to pro-western Moldova
Aleksey Bugaev: The story of the former Russian international who died fighting in Ukraine
Once one of the most talented defenders in Russia, Bugaev faced a long prison sentence for drug distribution
Aleksey Bugaev: Russian footballer’s spiralling story ends with death in Ukraine
Bugaev considered one of most promising defenders in country but alcohol and crime saw him on war’s front lines
Russian gas stops flowing through Ukraine
Transit deal expires with no follow-up agreement on flows to central Europe
Ten predictions experts made about the world in 2025. All of them are wrong
When it comes to predicting the future, you might as well ask an astrologer as a rational expert
Unstable new world order has frightening echoes of 1930s and 1940s
Trump’s re-election fuels global turmoil in which Putin is the biggest of many autocrats blending kleptocracy and dictatorship. US institutions and international treaties are fading, and Ukraine and Palestine have been betrayed
Georgia protests continue as ally of authoritarian Georgian Dream party sworn in as president
Mikheil Kavelashvili inauguration marks final step in what critics call state capture by pro-Russian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili
Azerbaijan president criticises Russia for seeking to ‘hush up’ reasons for air crash
Ilham Aliyev says he was ‘upset and surprised’ by versions of events around Azerbaijan Airlines crash put forward by Russian officials
Azerbaijan Airlines crash: Putin calls Kazakhstan’s president to express condolences, Kremlin says
Putin apologises to Azerbaijan’s Aliyev after Russian air defences apparently mistakenly shot down plane, killing 38
Russia claims it stopped plot by Ukraine to kill high-ranking officer and war blogger
Bomb was found to be concealed in a portable music speaker, Russian intelligence officers say
Ukraine’s second city takes Christmas underground for a third year
Kharkiv Letter: Missile-proof metro stations host frontline city’s main Christmas tree and seasonal concerts
Zero Sum: The Arc of International Business in Russia by Charles Hecker – Making money in the Wild East
As communism turned to right-wing authoritarianism, Moscow became an immense version of Dodge City or Tombstone
Slovakia could host peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, says Putin
Slovak PM Robert Fico has been outspoken opponent of EU military support for Kyiv during conflict
Nato to boost presence in Baltic Sea after suspected sabotage of power cable
Finnish investigators believe seized Russian ship caused outage of Estlink 2 undersea power and internet lines
Patriot by Alexei Navalny: Posthumous book underlines Putin critic’s final message: don’t give up
Highly readable account of a remarkable political life has a conversational tone, reflecting Navalny’s metier of social media
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE...
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Six Nations 2025
Get the latest news, analysis and match reports from the M6N and W6N championships
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
Family NoticesOpens in new window
Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices