Smirnova, the director of the Narva museum that is housed in the fortress, has defiantly hung from the battlements a large banner of Putin’s face, with the words “war criminal” below it. In January this year a court in Moscow issued an arrest warrant for Smorzhevskikh-Smirnova on the charge of spreading false information.

(Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin, in separate telephone conversations on Friday, told Iran's president that Moscow condemned Israel's actions against Tehran and told Israel's prime minister that questions around Iran's nuclear programme could only be solved through diplomacy.

Donald Trump has sent Vladimir Putin a stark message after the two leaders spoke for nearly 50 minutes on the phone on Saturday. The US and Russian Presidents discussed Israel 's strikes on Iran, and the possibility of reviving negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme.

Vladimir Putin called Donald Trump to wish him a very ‘happy birthday’ while fears grow an all-out war is set to erupt in the Middle East. The US President, who turns 79 today, said the Russian dictator called him to wish him many happy returns ...

Negotiations between Trump and Putin raise many questions. However, the Kremlin still has no intention of ending the war, says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a conversation with journalists on June 13.