Russia has condemned the US capture of a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the Atlantic as a violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The ship, currently sailing between Iceland and the British Isles, has been accused by Washington of violating US sanctions.

Russia and China call on the United States to immediately release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who is illegally jailed in New York after being kidnapped during an armed aggression against his country.

Russian authorities report that the death toll from a Ukrainian drone strike at a New Year’s party in a café in the Kherson region has risen to at least 27 people.

Russia has formally asked the United States stop chasing an oil tanker that had been sailing for Venezuela to pick up oil, a report says.

Moscow has handed over what it calls irrefutable proof to the United States that Ukraine attempted a large-scale drone attack on one of President Putin's residences.

Putin has reaffirmed Russia’s determination to achieve victory in the Western-backed war in Ukraine.