The Russian lower house of parliament, the State Duma, adopted amendments to the Criminal Code on Tuesday, which would impose tougher punishment for crimes committed during “wartime,” “martial law” or a “mobilization period.”

President Vladimir Putin earlier accused Kiev of refusing to hold further negotiations The armed conflict in Ukraine cannot be resolved through negotiations under current circumstances, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, as cited by Interfax.

Berlin has enough of the fuel to meet demand for less than three months, says Robert Habeck Germany may face natural gas shortages despite its storage facilities approaching maximum capacity, its economy minister has warned.